The Slayer, The Wizard, And The Key
by polgara-5
Summary: Complete and Revised Read AN in Ch 1 The Scooby gang goes to Hogwarts to teach and protect the students. While they are there, someone discovers a hidden power within themself, but will it be enough to save them all?
1. AN

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The Slayer, The Wizard, and The Key

By: Polgara

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E-mail: melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com

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Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon would be the genius behind that show. Nor do I own Harry Potter, that would be J. K. Rowling. I also don't own Lord of the Rings.

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Rating: R Just to be on the safe side, mostly for language and of course for the violence. 

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Spoilers: Through Season Six on Buffy, although I have changed certain events to serve my own purposes. They are as follows: Tara did get shot, but did not die; Willow did go on her evil rampage; Spike did not almost rape Buffy, he left after his one night with Anya to get his chip out, the Scoobies do know of this, all will be explained later; Anya is still a demon, she just doesn't grant wishes anymore. As for Harry Potter, spoilers go through Goblet of Fire. For Lord of The Rings it just goes through the Silmarillion with just hints of later events.

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This story takes place one year after Grave, and in the HP gangs sixth year at Hogwarts. OOTP never happened in my story! Nor did the final season of Buffy or season four of Angel!!! Connor never existed either.

This is the revised and final version of this story. I have gone back through and cleared up typos and grammar. I believe that I caught all the problems, but may be mistaken. I also added a few scenes along with clearing others up so they are easier to understand. I also used suggestions from reviews in all of this.

For those who have already read this story once, I suggest reading this again cause I added a few things that might be important in the sequel, **Two Worlds Collide**. I have outlined most of the sequel already so I'll start writing really soon. I will post the first chapter of the sequel, **Two Worlds Collide**, on Sunday Nov. 2. That should give me plenty of time to finish outlining the story and write the first chapter.

For those who have never read the story.....

~telepathic conversation~

{Elvish}

As always, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers and to those who have yet to review. You guys kick ass!!!!


	2. We Need The Slayer

Chapter One

We Need The Slayer

"But do you think it's really necessary?" Asked Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister of Magic.

"Yes, I do," replied Dumbledore. They were currently in the Headmaster's Office discussing the hiring of the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher.

"But they are Muggles, they don't belong here."

"I would hardly call them Muggles Cornelius. We are talking about the current Slayer, a key, two former Hogwarts' students, one who happens to be a vampire, a vengeance demon, and two Wiccans." Albus said with a twinkle in his eye.

"A vampire! A vengeance demon! You are willing to invite two members of the opposing side into this school? To protect the students!"

"Now, now Cornelius, there are extenuating circumstances behind those two, they are working for the Powers That Be. They have been fighting alongside the Slayer for several years. Do you really think she would let them live if she believed they were truly dangerous?"

"Do you really think they could help?" Fudge asked, with a frown on his face.

"They are a highly trained, skillful group of young people. They are ready to face a threat at a moment's notice." Dumbledore said.

***********

Buffy walked into her house with the pizza to find her friends sprawled out in her living room. Xander was asleep on the couch with a small amount of drool on his chin, while the girls were engrossed in the movie they were watching.

"Hey guys, what 'cha watchin'?" Buffy asked, as she headed into the kitchen to deposit the pizza on the counter.

As she walked back in, she noticed that no one had moved, or answered her question. So she tried again, and still got no response. A sly grin appeared on her face.

She stepped in front of the TV and began yelling, "There's a demon on his way here! Move it people! Move it! Grab weapons now!" Then she stood back and laughed.

Xander jumped so high off the couch that he had fallen off and was now looking around the room with a dazed expression on his face. The rest had risen so quickly from their positions and had taken off that they ran into each other and were now in a collapsed heap on the floor.

This was the scene that greeted Spike as he walked in from the basement. He chuckled slightly to himself, knowing that somehow Buffy was responsible for this. He looked over at her and saw the tears of joy running down her face as she watched her friends scramble around. He walked over to her and put his arms around her.

"Your work luv?" He purred into her ear.

She was laughing so hard she could only nod her head. Buffy's friends, hearing her laughter, stopped and turned to her with confusion in their eyes. 

"Um, Buffy. What's so funny?" Asked Willow. "There's a demon coming, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"No demon....getting your attention....fell down..." Buffy gasped between bouts of laughter.

"That wasn't very funny Buffy. I nearly had a heart attack," exclaimed Anya.

Willow and Tara just giggled quietly to themselves, while Xander continued to look around the room in confusion. 

"Xander, there's no demon, Buffy is just back with the pizza." Dawn tried to explain.

"Demon?"

"Never mind Xander."

The gang sat down and began eating the pizza. "So what movie were you watching that you completely missed me coming in with pizza?"  
"Life as A House with Kevin Kline and Hayden Christiansen. It is such a beautiful movie," said Willow with a tear in her eye.

"It was boring if you ask me. Just some guy moping around about how unhappy he is," said Xander.

"That was evident by the drool on your chin when I walked in." Buffy said with a laugh.

"So, what's tonight's game plan?" Xander asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

"Tonight is girl's night, so you and Spike need to go somewhere for a while," replied Dawn.

"Says who? I'm staying right here," Spike objected.

"Fine. Then we'll paint your toenails, and put a mud mask on your face too." Dawn said sweetly.

"Bloody hell, up for some pool whelp?"

**********

Albus sighed as he sat back down in his chair. He had finally convinced Cornelius that hiring the slayer and her friends was the only option they had. Last year's teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts was not prepared to handle Voldemort. While she was quite knowledgeable, she had not been prepared to face the Dark Lord himself and resigned at the end of the year, stating she was suffering from emotional and mental distress.

The Headmaster knew that the slayers group had faced several different forms of evil and would be up to the challenge of taking on Voldemort.

He carefully composed a letter and gave it to Fawkes. He only prayed that the slayer would accept his invitation.

********

The boys had returned from their pool game with Giles in tow, and the Scooby gang was gathered in Buffy's living room once again. This time watching The Princess Bride.

"Tell me again, why are we watching this?" Spike grumbled.

"I'm telling you, you're gonna love it. There's action, death, revenge, true love. This movie has everything." Dawn insisted.

"Action huh? All I'm hearing is 'As you wish' what kind of crap..."

He was interrupted by a tapping noise on the window above his head. Everyone turned to see a beautiful red bird hovering outside the window.

"Is it me? Or is there something tied to that bird's leg?" 

"Yes, there is whelp. Bloody hell, let it in Buffy."

"I'm not letting some strange bird in the house. What if there's some sort of spell or sleeping dust on that paper."

"Trust me, let the bird in."

"No."

"Fine, I'll do it myself." 

And before Buffy could stop him, Spike strode to the door and let the bird in. It flew to Buffy and dropped the letter on her lap, then flew to Spike's shoulder. Buffy looked up to Spike who was calmly petting the bird perched on his shoulder.

"Well, go on, open it up. See what it says." Spike urged her.

"Hogwarts?" She said as she looked at the seal on the back on the letter.

"Oh dear."

"What is it Giles?" Willow asked.

"Hogwarts is a wizarding school in England."  
"A wizarding school? How come we've never heard of it?" Asked Tara.

"Because you aren't wand witches." Spike explained. "The school only takes those who use wands, the ones with the magic in their blood."

"And how may I ask do you know about Hogwarts?"  
"Simple watcher, went there myself."

"You're a wizard?" Asked Willow, with wide eyes.

"Once, yeah. Haven't done anything in years. Not really sure where my wand is to tell you the truth. I'll explain later, what does the letter say Buffy?"

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock

International Confederation of Wizards, and Supreme Mugwamp

Miss Buffy Summers,

I am pleased to be able to offer you and your companions a chance to teach at Hogwarts. However, I wish that this offer could come under better circumstances. A dark wizard is terrorizing the wizarding world and he has specifically targeted one of our students. It is our wish that while you are here teaching, you can also aid in the protection of our students.

The school term begins on September 1st. To send your reply, just give your note to Fawkes, my phoenix, and he will deliver it to me. I expect word by no later than July 1st.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

"So Albus is still alive and kicking is he?" Spike mused. "Haven't seen him in years. Wonder how they've been treating him. Nibblet, can you get Fawkes here a bowl of water, I'm sure he's thirsty."

Dawn left the room, and soon came back with the water. Fawkes began to drink deeply.

"So you know this Albus guy?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, went to school with him, he was a fifth year when I started there."

"He was headmaster when I went there." Giles said softly.

"So, he's trust worthy huh?"  
"Oh, yes. Wonder what classes he wants us to teach?"

"Giles, are you ok?" Buffy had noticed that her mentor was staring absently at the wall.

"Yes, of course. Why would you ask?"

"Gee, only cause you're staring off into nowhere. Do you think he's on the line with this?"

"Yes, Albus has always looked out for the best interest of his students. If there is trouble, and he thinks you are needed, then you should go."

"What do the rest of you think? He's offering jobs for all of us."

"I don't know Buff. I mean, I already have a job, I can't just take off for England, I've got responsibilities." Xander said nervously.

"But Xander, these students are in trouble, they need our help. Are you going to abandon them?" Tara asked.

"I don't know, Tara. He has a point. I have my own responsibilities with the hellmouth. The people here need me too."

"Slayer, the hellmouth is beginning to close. Hell, we've done enough research to know that. It has been attracting less and less demons." Spike pointed out. "When was the last time we faced some major big bad?"

"Glory."

"Yeah, and that was over two years ago. Most of the demons are leaving; there are even fewer vampires. We don't see more than three or four a week now. I think Hogwarts needs us more."

"What about Dawn, and her schooling?"

"I'm sure Albus can arrange something, Buffy."

"What do the rest of you think? Who would be willing to go?" Tara, Willow, Dawn, Anya, and Spike all immediately raised their hands. Xander seemed to think for a moment, then raised his too.

"Giles?"

"I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for me to go with you."  
"Why not?"

"You do remember my past Buffy, as Ripper?" Buffy nodded her head. "It was at Hogwarts that Ethan and I raised Eyghon. Albus found out and expelled us and broke all of our wands." 

Spike lifted an eyebrow. "You were expelled?" Giles lowered his head and stared at the floor. "Wow. But surely Albus knows you're her watcher and would have stated specifically for you not to come."

Giles looked up, with a questioning look.

"He's famous for giving people second chances, this could be yours."

Giles nodded.

"Looks like we're goin' to England."


	3. Hogwarts

Chapter Two

Hogwarts

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

They had just stepped off the Hogwarts Express and most of them were standing there with their mouths open. It was nighttime and across the lake was a castle, a real live castle. Spike was watching the rest with amusement; he had had the same reaction when he had first arrived here.

"Crickey!" They all turned to Xander. "What? All I said was crickey. The crocodile hunter says it all the time."

A large man approaching them saved Xander from any further explanations. They all looked up to the figure towering above them. He wore a rather shabby moleskin coat and had long bushy black hair, and an equally bushy beard. However, in spite of his imposing presence, warm friendly eyes shone through the hair, and a welcoming smile peeked through.

"Ye must be the Americans. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. I also teach Care of Magical Creatures."

Spike chuckled as the rest stood there gaping. He stepped forward. "Nice to meet ya, mate. Don't mind them, most of them have never seen a giant before. Although, by the looks of ya, you're only half. No matter, I'm Spike, and this here is Buffy Summers, the slayer."

Hagrid's eyes went wide. "Blimey, the slayer. Never thought I'd get the chance t' meet one. Didn't think she'd be this pretty either." Buffy blushed with the praise.

Spike continued on with the introductions, but when he got to Giles, the giants eyes narrowed.

"I remember 'im, the slimy, trouble makin' Slytherin. But since Dumbledore's givin' ya a second chance, I'm willin' to let bygones be bygones." He held his hand out, which Giles took with a look of wonderment.

"A Slytherin, watcher? That's surprising."

"A slimy what?"

"A Slytherin, Buffy. The students are divided into four houses while they are here. The other three are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff." Spike explained.

"Which one were you in?"

"Wouldn't you like to know whelp. Can we head on to the castle?"

"Sure thing." Hagrid said as he led them to the carriages.

********

As they walked through the halls on the way to Dumbledore's office, Spike couldn't stop the big smile that broke out on his face. He hadn't been on the campus in nearly a hundred years, but that didn't stop the feeling of coming home that he had. All of his favorite memories as a human centered around this place. He recognized portraits, passageways, and even some of the suits of armor. When he had graduated all those years ago, he never imagined that he would be invited back as a professor.

While Spike's memories seemed to lighten his steps, Giles weighed him down. It was here that Ethan had lured him down the wrong path and a time of darkness had occurred. He had been cruel to so many people, played nasty tricks, and had even dared to be disrespectful to his professors. It wasn't until after his expulsion and Randall's death that he had realized the folly of his actions. He was amazed by the fact that he was even allowed back into the school.

The rest of the Scooby gang was not wrapped up in their memories, they were very much in the present. They talked excitedly amongst themselves about the moving portraits and the ghosts floating through the hallways. Anya even joined in with their chatter. Even though she had known of the existence of the wizarding world for several centuries, she had never spent much time around them. Most witches were cable of exacting their own vengeance on their ex-lovers and didn't need her assistance.

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of a gargoyle statue. Hagrid spoke one word, twizzlers, and the gargoyle moved, revealing a staircase. Spike, Hagrid, and Giles were halfway up the stairs before they realized that the rest were still at the bottom of the stairs.

"Come on now! Wouldn't be polite to keep old Albus waiting." Spike yelled down.

The gang shook themselves out of their amazement and hurried up the stairs. The room they entered, however, was even more astonishing than the hidden staircase. Willow's eyes widened with excitement as she viewed all the books in the room, she began calculating how long it would take her to read all the books there. 

The others were taking in all the other various objects in the room: a sword, a beat up old hat, and a bowl with a silver liquid in it. But before they could investigate, they were interrupted by the sound of Spike's voice.

"Albus! You're lookin' good mate!"

"I believe that would be the other way around, William." Albus replied with amusement.

Buffy turned to the source of the voice, a rather tall, thin old man who had white hair and beard that reached down to his waist. He looked them over through half moon glasses. Despite his obvious old age, she could feel his strength, determination, and power radiating off of him. Yet, there was a sense of kindness, caring, and even mischievousness about him. She smiled and knew that she liked him immediately. Buffy was shaken out of her study of him by Giles soft voice.

"Professor Dumbledore, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I..."

"Now, now Rupert. I've known for quite some time that you have changed since your years here at Hogwarts. Your slayer here is living proof of that." Albus turned and regarded the rest of the Scoobies. "On behalf of the entire staff, I would like to welcome you here to Hogwarts. I'll introduce you to the rest of the staff tomorrow during breakfast. I thought you would like to ask me any questions you might have, and then retire to your rooms to rest up after your long journey."

After all the introductions were made, they began discussing the classes they would be teaching. Buffy was going to teach a new, required course called Muggle Defense, while Tara and Willow would be teaching an elective on Wiccan Magic. Anya and Giles would also be teaching a new elective class on Demon Classification. Xander would be helping out in various classes, including Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures. However, the surprise came when they learned that Spike would be teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"There's just one small problem with that, mate. I've lost my wand, not like I was very good with it in the first place."

"That won't be a problem, William. We shall give you an advancement on everyone's salaries and you can go to Diagon Alley later this week so you may purchase any supplies that you may need."

"There's another thing too, Albus. Can we stop with all this William crap. I haven't been him in a long time, I'm Spike now. That's also how I want to be introduced to everyone, no mention of my last name."

"Very well. Spike. Are there any more questions before we go to bed?"  
"Just one, professor. Who is this evil wizard that we are suppose to be protecting the students from?" Buffy asked. 

"Ah, yes. I'm not surprised you would ask about Voldemort." Spike raised an eyebrow and Giles hissed.

"So you know this Moldy Wart guy, Giles?"  
"Voldemort." Albus gently corrected. "And yes, Rupert was a student during Voldemort's first reign. He had a following of other dark wizards called Death Eaters. They would mostly kill muggles, who are non-magic people, and any wizard who would stand in their way. For a time, I feared that our young Mr. Giles here would join them." Xander snickered at Giles being called young, but quieted when Dumbledore looked at him.

"However, he was stopped by a one-year-old child named Harry Potter. His mother sacrificed herself for him. This act left an unseen mark on him, and when Voldemort turned the killing curse on Harry, it reflected back onto him. It would take thirteen years before he regained both his strength and his body.

"Since his return, he has focused his energies on one thing, killing Harry. He made several attempts last year, the last of which Harry barely survived. Voldemort attacked the school with his legion of death eaters. We were worried that he would try to attack him at his aunt and uncle's house, who are muggles. Because of this, Harry is staying here this summer; you will also meet him tomorrow."

"The poor kid." Tara said with tears in her eyes. "He's been through so much at such a young age."

The rest sat there in stunned silence, until Xander yawned loudly.

"I suggest we retire for the night and continue this discussion in the morning. Hagrid will show you to your rooms."


	4. That's My Vampire

Chapter Three

That's My Vampire

The next morning they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. The other professors were already seated and they all looked up when they entered. A tall, long black haired man dressed in black robes, pointed at Giles, and shouted, "What is that pillock doing here?"

"Now Severus, sit down." Dumbledore said.

"But, he..."

"I said sit. Mr. Giles is reformed and is one of our new professors. You will be courteous to him and treat him with respect." Severus narrowed his eyes and sneered as he sat back down. "I apologize for Professor Snape, his temper sometimes gets the best of him. Please, sit and eat."

During this exchange, Giles curiously looked at the man and tried to figure out what he had done to upset him. He racked his brain and suddenly remembered an incident from his final year. His guilt threatened to overwhelm him, but then he remembered the circumstances behind the occurrence. He felt Ripper trying to fight his way to the surface, but he suppressed it and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Buffy and Spike had been watching Giles and the different expressions that crossed his face. They didn't know what they meant, but they exchanged worried glances.

They all sat down to a gorgeous looking breakfast. Dawn ended up seated next to a boy who was her age. He had messy black hair and the greenest eyes she had ever seen peering out through round rimmed glasses. She smiled at him and introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Dawn Summers."

"I'm Harry Potter." Dawn lifted an eyebrow as she realized that this was the boy who they were going to be protecting. "Are you going to Hogwart's this year?"  
"I'm not sure. I'm here now because my sister is a professor here and she can't leave me home alone."

"Why not?"

"My mom died a couple years ago, and I haven't seen my father in several years. As a matter of fact, haven't really talked to him either."

"Sorry about your mum and dad."

"It's ok, it was a while ago, and I still have Buffy."

"So what class is she teaching?"

"Some required class I think..."  
"Defense Against the Dark Arts?!"

"No, that's her boyfriend Spike. I think she's teaching a new class, Muggle Defense, I think."

Harry's eyes widened. "You're muggles!"

"Sort of, I guess. It's a rather long complicated story. Maybe I'll tell you later."

Farther down the table the scooby gang was being introduced to the rest of the staff. Things were going well until Spike was introduced.

"A bit young to be teaching this class, don't you think?" Snape snarled.

"Why? How old do I look, _mate_?"

"You barely look old enough to be out of school, let alone have enough experience to teach."

The blond vampire smirked. "Then it will probably shock you to learn that I went to school _here_ at the same time as Albus."

"How is that possible?" Snape sputtered.

"Like this," and Spike let his demon face come forward.

"Vampire!" Snape stood and pulled out his wand, but before he could utter another word, Buffy kicked his wand out of his hand. She kicked him in the stomach, and as he bent over in pain, she grabbed a handful of hair and pulled his head back.

"Everyone listen up, cause I will not repeat myself." Buffy released Snape and straightened up. When she turned to face everyone, it was the Slayer who looked at them with a flinty look in her eyes. "This vampire has a name, it's Spike. I'm the only one allowed to call him vampire, cause he's _mine_. I don't mean as in dating, I mean as in claimed. We have claimed each other, so know that when you threaten or hurt one, you're actually acting against both of us. Spike has gone against the very nature of his demon to fight on our side. The same goes for Anya. I swear, if anyone here does anything to hurt either of them, you may not live to regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

No one said a word, some of the professors had a look of fear in their eyes. Snape slowly nodded his head, then left the Hall. Buffy visible relaxed and sat back down.

"So, Professor Dumbledore, you mentioned a tour?" Buffy asked with a smile.

**********

That evening, Buffy and Spike were patrolling in the dark forest. They wanted to make sure they knew the lay of the land before they could prepare a strategy.

"You didn't have to do that, luv."

"Do what?"

"Your announcement this morning."

"What was I suppose to do, Spike? He was going to curse you or whatever it is that he does, and something inside of me snapped. They all needed to know that you guys are on our side, we don't have the time for dissension in the ranks."

"Oohh, dissension, been reading the dictionary again, luv?"

"Very funny, Spike." Buffy said as she lightly punched him in the arm. "All I'm saying is that Dumbledore asked us here for a reason. I plan on us doing our jobs to the best of our ability, but we won't be able to do that with everyone fighting each other."

"I get that, luv. But I meant telling everyone about the claim."

Buffy stopped and looked at him. "Why wouldn't I tell them? I'm not ashamed to let them know how much I love you."

Spike felt his chest expand, as it did every time she said those words to him. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her soundly. "Cor, Buffy. I love you, too."

"All right, let's see what else is out here."

"You do know that we still need to figure out what to do with Dawn, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Buffy sighed. "Let's ask Dumbledore tomorrow."

*********

"Yes, I see your point, Buffy. She does need to continue her education. Tell me, has she ever performed any magic?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No," Buffy replied.

"Umm, luv. That's not exactly true."

"What?"

"Remember the resurrecting spell for your mother?"

"Ok, there was one time, but it had extenuating circumstances. But why do you ask?"

"I know that she used to be the key. Because of its magical properties, it may be possible that she is a wand-using witch."

"No! She can't!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Luv, calm down."

"Calm down! How could she be a witch? There has never been a wizard in our family! She was made from me! I'm not a witch!" Buffy paced as she ranted.

"Miss Summers, her ability to perform magic would have come from the energy of the key."  
"Fine, but how do we find out if she is a witch or not?"

"Very simple, we bring her in here and have her try a couple of easy spells with my wand."

*******

"Oh my god! This place is amazing!" Dawn gushed as they walked down Diagon Alley on Harry's arm. Over the past week they had become fast friends. She was so excited that she would be going to school with him at Hogwarts this year.

They walked along picking up various supplies that they would need for the school year. Dawn's enthusiasm was very catching as Harry pointed out various shops along the way.

Buffy and the rest trailed slightly behind them as they kept an eye out for trouble. It had taken quite awhile to convince Dumbledore that Harry would be safe outside of Hogwarts for one day. He finally relented when they told him that the entire gang would accompany him everywhere he went. Dumbledore also gave Spike a special earring to wear that enabled him to walk in the sun. He wanted to make sure that Spike wasn't worried about getting accidentally dusted during class, and to be able to socialize with the students without that worry either.

Dawn talked Buffy into letting buy a pet and drug everyone into the magical animals shop. It took some time but she finally walked out with a sugar glider.

"What are you going to name her?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never had a pet before, so I want to make sure it's perfect. Isn't she cute though?"

The last stop of the day was at Ollivander's so that Spike and Dawn could get their wands. They walked into the dimly lit store and didn't see Mr. Ollivander.

"Hello. Mr. Ollivander?" Spike called out.

"Coming." They heard from the back. Soon a man with wild white hair appeared from the stacks.

"Well, bless my soul. I never thought I'd see you again, Mr."  
"Ah, the name is Spike now." He quickly interrupted.

"Ah, yes. Perfectly understandable. So tell me, what brings you back into my store?"  
"First off, the Nibblet, I mean Dawn Summers here, need her first wand. And I need a new one 'cause I seem to have lost mine somewhere down the road."

"How did that wand work out for you? I seem to recall taking several hours to find yours."

"Actually, I was forever havin' problems with it. It never did feel right."  
"Let me see if I can recall it. Ah yes, a twelve-inch willow with slayer's blood in it, I do believe."  
"Yeah, that's it mate." Everyone except Harry and Giles were looking at them strangely.

"I think the problem was the slayer's blood." Ollivander said, looking at Buffy. "Perhaps, if the new slayer would donate a little of her blood, you would find it more agreeable."

"My blood? Spike, what is he talking about?"

"Buffy, all wands are different. The wizard doesn't choose the wand, the wand chooses the wizard." Spike ducked his head rather shyly. "When I bought my first wand, like he said, it took several hours to find one. The one I finally got gave mixed signals. It worked, but something didn't sit right with it. I think what he's saying is that it was the right combination, wrong ingredient."

"So you're saying, you want to make a wand with my blood in it?" Buffy asked. Spike and Mr. Ollivander shared a look, then they both nodded. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place. Of course, I'll lend you some blood."

Spike's face broke into a smile. "Thanks, luv. You'll never know how much this means to me."

Mr. Ollivander turned to Dawn. "Well, let's see which wand is for you." He headed back to the shelves and came back with several boxes. "Let's try this one. Go on, give it a wave."

Dawn nervously waved it through the air and boxes flew off the shelf. She quickly handed it back.

"Ah here, try this one."

This time when Dawn waved it the ladder Mr. Ollivander used went flying across the room.

"Jesus!" Spike cried. "I don't think that one's it."

"Hmm." Mr. Ollivander said thoughtfully. He looked closely at Dawn, then suddenly a look of understanding crossed his face. "I know just the wand." He once again went into the back of the store.

He had been gone for several minutes when he returned with and extremely dusty box. He set it down and carefully opened it. "A fourteen inch ebony with a scale from the last Arconian Speckled Dragon, a most powerful wand. Go on, give this one a try."

Dawn stepped up, then stopped and looked at Buffy and Spike. Buffy looked a little frightened and Spike actually looked a little worried. He nodded his head to urge her on. She turned back to the wand and picked it up.

The moment she touched it, magical green fire flare around her, then died back down.

"Ah yes, I do believe that wand has finally chosen. Most interesting."

"Why is that interesting?" Buffy demanded with some fear in her voice.

"This wand was made nearly a millennia ago. Most wands do not take so long to find their match. Miss Summers must be a most powerful witch for this one to have chosen here."

Dawn's eyes widened at that. Her, a powerful witch? That had always been Willow with the supernatural powers. She could tell her sister was freaking out over this, but was trying to remain calm. Dawn smiled. Big sister was always going to be protective, but at least she was no longer smothering her.

Before they left, they paid for Dawn's wand and prepaid Spikes'. Buffy left a small vial of her blood and Mr. Ollivander promised that it would be ready by the end of next week. They headed back out onto the street, then back to Hogwarts.


	5. The Angel

Chapter Four

An Angel

The next month and a half flew by quickly. Dawn spent most of her time cramming five years of magic schooling into her brain so that she could attend classes with those her age. To the amazement of her teachers, mostly Snape, she caught on very quickly and was extremely talented in potions. With Harry's help she finally reached sixth year status, her sorting, however, would have to wait until the first day of school.

Dawn and Harry became closer with all the time spent in the library together. Harry learned all about Dawn's status as the key and what it was like to live on the hellmouth. He told Dawn about how he hated to be treated like a celebrity for something he had no control over.

Harry talked all about his adventures with his best friends Ron and Hermione, and explained his unusual talent of being a parselmouth, which enabled him to speak to snakes. He even talked about their run-ins with his rival at the school, Draco Malfoy. Dawn's eyes widened then narrowed as he told her of all the trouble he had caused over the years and that he would probably turn into a death eater like his father, Lucius.

He found it oddly comforting to be able to confide in Dawn. He loved Ron and Hermione of course, but here was someone who had similar experiences. She knew what it was like to be wanted for evil purposes, and to even be hunted by evil. With her there was a kinship, and he loved her for it.

Dawn also looked at Harry in a similar manner. Despite all the worries and pressures placed upon him he always had a smile and a kind word ready for her or anyone else. He never judged her on what her past or capabilities could be, but on her personality and desire to have a good time no matter what.

The others had spent their time preparing for their own classes. Spike's new wand worked perfectly, apparently Mr. Ollivander was right about the blood. Spike shook his head ruefully, it was always about the blood. The only thing that felt more right than holding his wand, was holding Buffy.

Despite Albus' assurances, Spike was a bit worried about teaching DADA. He hadn't used a wand since shortly after he had been turned. Angelus didn't think it was appropriate that his wand carried the blood of the kind who hunted them. So he had packed it away and didn't give it much thought, after all, he had a new life to lead, one that didn't necessarily need magic. Until now.

Buffy searched the entire castle until she found a room big enough to suit her purposes. She enlisted McGonagall's help in transfiguring the tables and chairs in the room into mats and a couple of punching bags. She also displayed some of her weapons on the wall and had Flitwick place a charm on them so that only she or members of the scooby gang could remove them.

The rest of the scooby gang were spending their time in a similar manner. Xander got to know Hagrid and Laura Thompson, who taught the muggle studies class. Willow, Tara, and Giles were making their syllabi, while Anya went searching for the best books for their courses.

Meal times were always interesting Harry learned. The group from Sunnydale laughed and told stories. They had such a strong sense of camaraderie that he could see how they could always come out on top. Anya amused him the most at these times, though. The things that would come out of her mouth, she was the most blunt person Harry had ever met. Professor McGonagall spent most of her meal times with a very red and shocked expression on her face.

Buffy had insisted that Harry start early on her class and had him training with Dawn, who was wickedly strong for someone as thin as she was. In the beginning he didn't understand why Dumbledore had created the class, but then Buffy explained.

"What happens when you loose your wand?"

"Umm, we usually have to hide."

"Yes, but wouldn't you like to get your wand back?"

"Well, yeah, but how can we without magic?"

"That's where my class comes in. If you know how to defend yourself and attack without your wand, you can dodge whatever they throw at you. But, if you can, get close enough to attack. You can disarm them and get your wand back. Now watch."

Buffy pretended to be a witch and carried her own wand. Spike yelled, "Expelliarmus" and she flew backwards and lost her "wand". She quickly got back on her feet and before Spike could get in another spell, she attacked. Harry was amazed at their movements, he didn't know that people could move so fast. After a series of kicks and punches she had disarmed him. They both stopped and turned back to Harry.

"See, always remember that you have a more important weapon than just your wand. That is you."

With that, Harry threw himself into his training.

**********

Draco sat slumped down in his seat as he looked out the window at the scenery as it passed by. Blaise Zabini sat across from him in their compartment on the Hogwart's Express. Neither said a word, they were both lost in their thoughts.

He dreaded going back to school, he hated that place, but it was better than home. His father was very displeased that he refused to take the dark mark until after he graduated. His father's response was rather severe, he spent most of the summer covered with cuts and bruises, last night had been the worst though. 

Since Draco was a prefect he had to return to school a week early, a new rule instituted after Voldemort's return. His father showed his disapproval of having one less week to convince his son that he placed the Cruciatus Curse on him. When he released him, he gave Draco a final warning. "Decide by Christmas boy, or don't come home again."

Draco's body still ached, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He realized he had stalled his father long enough, he was going to have to make a decision. His head swam with thoughts and feelings. He knew that everyone expected him to become a death eater. Hell, he even expected it of himself. But after last year's incident at Hogwarts, he was suddenly plagued with doubts. The death eaters that had attacked, cursed and killed indiscriminately. Draco had nearly been hit with the killing curse, but it had hit Crabbe instead. He had watched a fellow Slytherin, another who was destined to become a death eater, be killed by a member of a group of which he was to join. He remembered that barely half of who had attacked had been able to escape.

He saw that Voldemort was on the loosing side. What kind of life would that be? Hiding who you truly are, disguising your loyalties. Draco wanted a better life than that. He didn't want to be constantly looking over his shoulder to see if someone was watching him, waiting to catch him in the act of performing dark magic. And after last night's experience, he really didn't want to make anyone feel the way he had. But could he really go against his father's wishes?

He knew that he was spoiled, that everything was handed to him on a silver platter. Hell, he didn't even have to pick his friends, his father and mother had chosen them when he was born. Others only wanted him because they wanted a piece of the Malfoy fortune. For once, he wanted a friend that _he_ had found, to _earn_ the respect from others.

He doubted that would happen at Hogwarts though. The name Malfoy was what earned him respect in the Slytherin House, but caused the others to instantly hate him. No one tried to learn who he really was because they thought they already knew. So what was the point in trying to make them see anything different?

The train pulled to a stop and Draco inwardly sighed. He quickly put on his air of indifference and his trademark sneer. He shoved the protests his body was making to the back of his mind. _Bloody hell_, he thought, _another year._

*******

In another compartment on the train, there were three Gryffindors excited about coming back to school. Hermione Granger was a sixth year prefect, while Ginny Weasley was going to be a fifth year prefect. Her brother Ron had come with them cause he couldn't wait any longer to see his friend Harry. In stark contrast to Draco's quiet compartment, theirs was quite animated.

"Have you heard about the new professors, 'Mione?" Ron asked around a mouthful of chocolate.

She frowned at him, but replied. "Harry said they were all very nice and were extremely knowledgeable. But apparently most of them are muggles."

"Really?" Ginny asked.

"Plus, they're mostly Americans. Only the DADA and one of the demonology professors are British."

"Harry wrote me that he's learning how to fight from the slayer." Ron told them excitedly.

Ginny looked confused. "What's a slayer?"  
"Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a chosen one. One born with the strength and skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. I did some research when Harry told me. They are usually called when they are around our age, but they very rarely make it to their eighteenth birthday. They usually die in some sort of battle."

"I wonder if she will be our age." Ron said with a dreamy look on his face.

Hermione frowned. "I doubt it, Ron. She has to be older, otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't have hired her. She must be good if she's old enough to teach."

"Well, we're about to find out. We're here." Ginny announced.

As they got off the train they looked around for Harry, but didn't see him. So they picked a carriage to ride in to the castle.

********

Draco enjoyed a few moments of peace in his room before the prefects meeting. He was going to have to make some plans before Christmas. He knew that whatever he chose, it would not have a happy ending for him. He stood and looked at himself in the mirror. He had changed a lot since he first came here. He was nearly six foot now and he had lost all of his baby fat, which revealed the chiseled features underneath. He sighed and left his room heading to the meeting.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he wasn't watching where he was going and ran into someone as tall as he was. He pulled himself out of his thoughts to see who was obstructing his path. It was Ron Weasley, funny, he didn't recall him being on the prefect list. Then he remembered that the sister was on it.

Draco sneered. "What's the matter Weasel, parents couldn't afford two separate trips to King's Cross Station that they had to send you off with your little sister?"  
"You know, a jealous, critical nature is a manifestation of a poor self-image."

Draco turned to the source of the unfamiliar female voice with a retort on the tip of his tongue, then stopped. Before him stood an angel. A tall, long legged, shining brown hair angel. She was luminous in the candlelight. And Merlin, she was smirking at him. He stood there staring at her until he heard laughter.

"Good job, Dawn. I don't think I've ever seen Malfoy speechless." Harry crowed.

"Shut up, Potter." Draco sneered and headed to the opposite side of the room to sit down. He was fuming. He had let old scarhead get the better of him, stupid girl. He looked back over at her, Merlin she was beautiful. But she was already friends with Potter, the stupid git. Shaking himself out of these thoughts he turned his attention to Dumbledore, who was preparing to start the meeting.

********

Later that evening, Dawn sat in the Gryffindor common room with Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione. She felt like she already knew the other three, because of all the stories Harry had told her.

Ron had his lanky form stretched out on a couch with his head next to Hermione. Dawn noticed the looks the bushy-haired girl kept giving him and was having trouble hiding a small, knowing smile. Harry was sitting sideways in a big oversized armchair with his legs dangling over the side, while Dawn and Ginny were lying on the floor with some pillows.

"Did you guys notice anything odd about Malfoy during the meeting?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?"  
"Well, for one 'Mione, he seemed kind of distracted. Almost as if his mind was somewhere else."

Dawn kept quiet, she knew what the source of his distraction was. It was her. She kept feeling these eyes on her, and when she would look up to see who it was, it was always him. His body set off vibes of cold indifference which caused her to inwardly shudder. But his eyes told her something else entirely. Something was swirling in those gray pools, and it looked like confusion.

"I said, what did you think, Dawn?" Harry repeated himself for the third time.

She felt her face flush slightly and stammered, "I don't know. You guys know him better than I do."

"Yeah, well something was bothering him." Harry said thoughtfully.

They sat there in silence until Hermione made mention of another observation. "He didn't complain about the new professors being muggles!" Harry and Ron's mouths gaped open as they realized this.

"Why would he?" Dawn asked, looking confused.

"Because he thinks the only people who are worth a damn are pureblood wizarding families."  
"Harry." Ginny chided.

"What? It's true."  
"I know that, but do you have to use language? It's not polite." She said, nodding towards Dawn.

"Relax Ginny." Dawn said with a giggle. "I've heard much worse from my sister and Spike."

"Spike." Ginny said dreamily. Ron and Harry gave her odd looks. "What? He's gorgeous. He's got the bad boy look going for him, and boy does it work."

"Gin! He's a vampire!" 

"So what, Ron? Doesn't mean I can't admire him." Ginny said with a huff.

"Admire all you want, just don't touch. My sister is very protective of him. If you don't believe me, just ask Snape." Harry snickered.

"But your sister is the slayer, why hasn't she killed him yet?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, it's a very long story."

"We don't mind."

Dawn looked at Harry and he nodded to let her know that she could trust these three with everything. She just hoped that it wouldn't change their opinion of her. She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

"I suppose I should start at the very beginning so you can fully understand everything. Buffy was called as the slayer when she was fifteen..."  
"Wow! She must be good if she's still alive." Ron exclaimed, remembering what Hermione had told them on the train.

"Her first watcher..."

"Watcher? What's a watcher?" Ron asked.

Dawn sighed, this was going to be a long night. She went back a step and explained the watcher/slayer relationship. She told them everything, all about Angel, the master, the hellmouth, Angelus, Spike and Druscilla, Acathla, Riley, the Initiative, Glory, the Key, and even about the dork trio.

The rising sun found the five heading to bed. It had taken all night for her to explain everything and answer their numerous questions. What surprised Dawn the most, was that Hermione offered to do some research to find out more about the key and it's powers. Dawn smiled, this year was looking like it would be a good one.


	6. The Sorting

Chapter Five

The Sorting

Dawn shifted nervously from foot to foot as she stood waiting with the rest of the first years. She felt so awkward around them, especially since she practically stood a head taller than they did. The moment that would be deciding her placement for the next two years was less than fifteen minutes away. After meeting the prefects this past week, she had decided that she didn't care what house she got sorted into, as long as it wasn't Slytherin. They all creeped her out, with the exception of one. Draco.

Draco Malfoy occupied her waking thoughts and her dreams. Harry had told her what he was capable of and he gave off a wiggy vibe. But there was something intriguing about him. Any time she was in the same room as him, she could feel his eyes watching her. She tried to ignore him as much as possible, but the looks were very unsettling. She sometimes worried that he knew she was the key and was planning on telling his father.

Yet, when she looked at him, the worries went away and were replace by.... Well, she didn't know what it was, but it wasn't worry. When she did catch his gaze, she found it hard to look away. While his face never lost its cold, hard edge, his eyes swam with emotion. There was anger, pain, confusion, and even a hint of remorse. Dawn didn't know what to think.

She began to think that there might be more to Draco Malfoy than what all the stories told. He was still staring at her even though he knew she wasn't a pureblood. He finally had his say about that, she had overheard that conversation several days ago. He must have finally come out of whatever sort of daze he was in, cause he was quite vociferous about it with a fellow Slytherin in the hallway.

"Can you believe it, Blaise? Hiring muggles!" Draco said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I know, and one of the classes is required. What's next? Allowing muggles to come to school here, too."

"Plus, they're yanks! I thought it was bad enough that Dumbledore continued to allow Hagrid to teach, but now he's sunk to a new level of idiocy."

"What have you heard about the new student?"

"She's a mudblood." He practically spat. "Apparently her sister is teaching that new class, muggle defense. What the hell do we need to know muggle defense for? We have wands."

"A mudblood, huh?"  
"Yeah, and I heard the stupid bint didn't even know she was a witch until she came here, the filthy thing."

Dawn winced every time she remembered that conversation. But it helped to remind herself what an arrogant prick he was.

But still, there was this nagging feeling that she was missing something. A crucial piece to the puzzle that was Draco Malfoy. Her dreams would tell her that much. Her sleep at night was plagued with gray eyes watching her, pleading with her. She didn't know what to make of them. She couldn't ask Harry and the rest, because they couldn't see him in any other manner.

Harry. He was an entirely different matter. He was one of the sweetest boys she had ever met. His friends were great, too. Although, now that they had arrived, she almost felt as if she was on the outside looking in. That's the same way she used to feel with Buffy and her friends. She wasn't too worried about that though, she'd find her way in, just like with the scooby gang.

McGonagall interrupted her thoughts. "We are ready for you now. Dawn, we will sort you first. All right, follow me."

__

Well, here goes nothing. Dawn thought.

********

Draco was doing his best to try and pay attention to what Pansy was saying. Merlin, that girl could talk forever about nothing. His thoughts, however, where not co-operating. They kept drifting to a certain mudblood, his angel. He was quite distraught when Adrian Pucey, a seventh year Slytherin prefect, had told him about it.

He probably would have figured it out for himself, if he had paid attention during that first prefects meeting. She had distracted him the whole time. She was, quite possibly, the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. She carried herself with an air of confidence, and seemed so open and friendly.

The blond kept entertaining thoughts that she could be the one who he could let in. That she would love him for who he was, and not for what he could do for her. Wait. Love him? When did love enter the picture? He sighed.

Doesn't matter, he said to himself. Potter has already told her all about you. You lost her before you could even try. Wait! Where were all these un-Malfoyish thoughts coming from? She was a mudblood for Merlin's sake! Someone a pureblood like him had no business talking to, let alone, wanting for himself.

He looked at Pansy. She was still rambling on about something that happened over the summer, blithely unaware that wasn't paying attention. He fidgeted in his seat and glanced at the doors to the Great Hall for the tenth time in five minutes. Any minute now she would come through those doors and be sorted.

Draco doubted that she would be sorted into Slytherin, and not just because she was a mudblood. But because she didn't seem to display any characteristics that defined his house. He knew this because he couldn't help but watch her when she entered a room. She was like a magnet to his gaze, he was drawn to her. She laughed easily and seemed to be friends with everyone. His angel had somehow managed to integrate herself into Potter's gang, something no one else had been able to do.

There he went again! His angel? More like Potter's angel. He saw the way she looked at him, and jealousy surged. He knew it was wrong that he should be attracted to a mudblood, but he couldn't stop his feelings. If his father wasn't going to disown him because of Voldemort, he would definitely disown him for this. Merlin, when did his life get this complicated?

He looked to the doors again. What was taking so long? He turned his gaze to the professor's tables. The new ones were talking and laughing amongst themselves. He was still amazed that they were allowed to teach here, what with them being muggles and all. The DADA professor intrigued him, though. There was something familiar about him, but Draco couldn't put his finger on it. Nonetheless, he was sure he could figure it out eventually.

He shifted his gaze to the Gryffindor table, and to Potter and his gang. Envy welled up in him for moment before he suppressed it. He hated it every time he felt that way about them. They had a true friendship that was based upon trust, respect, and love - the one thing the Draco didn't have. Not to mention they were friends with his angel.

Draco heard the doors open and he quickly looked over. He inhaled sharply. There she was, in her perfect beauty, even if she was in plain black robes. Merlin, she was looking at him again. He looked away, embarrassed. There was no hope of him being with her. _Bloody hell_. 

*******

Dawn felt his eyes on her the moment she walked through the door. She looked over at him and caught something new in his eyes, sadness. What could possibly make him sad? What was even more confusing was that he looked away. That had never happened before. However, before she could continue this train of thought, an old beat up hat began to sing.

Everyone clapped when the hat was finished, and Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "When I call your name please step forward. I will place the sorting hat on your head. When it has called out the house, you may join your new housemates.

"Before we sort the first years, we have a special sixth year student to sort first. Dawn Summers."

Dawn stepped forward, a little wary of the hat. Personally it was giving her a slight case of the wiggins. She looked to Buffy and Spike. He sister smiled encouragingly and Spike gave her the thumbs up. She sat down and McGonagall place the hat on her head. She nearly jumped off the stool when it began to whisper in her ear.

"Hmmm, yes. The mystical key has finally been given its human form." Her eyes widened, she hoped no one else could hear what it said. "Where to put you? This one is most difficult."

"Lots of courage in you, just like Godric Gryffindor." Her heart soared, then dropped. "Yet there is a deviousness about you which would enable you to fit in with the Slytherins. Ravenclaw would benefit your eagerness to learn, while you also display Hufflepuff's loyalty.

"Most intriguing, you fit all four houses, most unusual. So, I shall place you where you will do the most good." Dawn chewed on her lower lip.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Dawn jumped excitedly off the stool and headed to her new friends. Her relief clearly etched on her face.

Across the hall, Draco was devastated. There it was, plain as day. His last, brief chance for anything with her went down the tubes. He was sunk.

********

After the first years had been sorted and the hat taken away, Dumbledore stood and waited patiently for the noise to die down. "I have several start of term announcements. The forbidden forest is precisely that, forbidden. These are most dangerous times and the forest has become more treacherous.

"I am sure the older students see several new faces here at the head table. Professors McClay and Rosenberg will be teaching a new elective on wiccan magic." A murmur rippled through the hall as well as a few catcalls. Tara blushed and quickly sat back down. "Quiet down. Any who wish to enroll in this class please speak to your house heads. This also applies to another elective on demonology classification. Mr. Giles and Miss Emerson will be teaching that class. Mr. Harris will be assisting Hagrid with Care of Magical Creatures and in Muggle Studies.

"We have a new required class called Muggle Defense that will be taught by Professor Summers." When Buffy stood the whole place erupted with applause, and whistles from the Gryffindor table. The only table that didn't join in was the Slytherin table. When the noise had died down, Dumbledore continued. "She is most qualified seeing as she is the current slayer. A role I'm sure she will explain to you in class.

"She will be aided by our new DADA teacher, Spike." The place grew quiet as Spike stood and looked menacingly at them all. When he sat, Buffy slapped him lightly on his arm with a disapproving look; he smirked back at her.

"Now, I only have three more things to tell you: flibbertygibbit, guffaw, and snitzful. Let the feast begin."

With that the food appeared on the tables and the first years eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Conversations began again, but with a different topic. Instead of discussing summer events, everything centered on the new professors.

"So what's a slayer?" Seamus asked Hermione. "If anyone would know, it would be you."

"I think I'll let Professor Summers tell you about it."

"Summers? Dawn, is she related to you? You have the same last name." He asked, turning to Dawn.

"Yes, she's my older sister."  
"Would you tell me about the slayer?"

"No, I think I'll let Buffy demonstrate in class tomorrow. She's got something planned with Spike. I'm not quite sure what it is, but knowing those two, it should be interesting."

"You know the DADA professor, too?" A boy name Dean Thomas asked.

"Yeah, he's kind of like my big brother. He's super cool, you guys are going to love him."

"I think I already do." Ginny said with a sigh. "Have you noticed he always wears tight, clinging shirts?" Everyone but Dawn gave her a queer look. "What? I think he's hot, sue me."

Dawn giggle. "Just remember that he's only got eyes for one woman, and she happens to be my sister."

"Your sister is married to Spike?" Hermione's old roommate Lavender Brown asked.

"Uh, not really. It's a little more complicated than that. I really don't have time to explain it. Let's just say they share a bond that can't be broken." Dawn really didn't want to discuss the whole claim thing, cause then she'd have to explain that he was a vampire, and it wasn't her place to tell anyone about it. She knew that Spike wanted to do that himself in class.

"What a shame. Gin is right, he really is sexy." Lavender said, giving Spike an appraising look.

The conversation at the Slytherin table wasn't quite as amenable as the one at the Gryffindor table. They could have cared less what a slayer was or who was related to whom. They were more concerned over the fact that they were muggles.

"It's disgusting, muggles teaching classes at Hogwarts!" Draco spat. All thoughts of Dawn gone as he joined the conversation.

Goyle, the last of his so-called bodyguards, stared blankly at him. 

"They aren't wizards, Goyle." He continued to stare at him. Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes. It always amazed him that Goyle had somehow made it this far in school.

Pansy was quite livid. "We have to take one of their classes too! Can you believe the nerve of Dumbledore forcing us to associate with that filth? The only thing that could be worse was if they were mudbloods."

With that word, Draco flicked his gray eyes over to his angel. He inwardly sighed, she seemed quite happy over there. He turned his attention back to the conversation.

"At least we aren't forced to take those other two classes." Millicent was saying. "Really, who would want to learn about lower forms of magic?"

"That's true. Wiccan magic is just a bunch of parlor tricks." Blaise sneered.

"Goyle and I have to deal with another one during that old fool Hagrid's class. He looks absolutely worthless." Draco pointed out.

*****

At the end of dinner, Dumbledore stood again. A smile graced his wrinkled face and he had a devilish twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh shit, here it comes." Spike said with a grimace.

"Here comes what?"

"Just watch, luv. You won't understand until you experience it for yourself."

Buffy looked at the other professors at the table and they seemed to share Spike's pained expression. The student's, however, were excited. Harry and Ron, though, had a downright mischievous look on their faces. Before she could wonder what they were up to Dumbledore began to speak.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song! Everyone pick their favorite tune and off we go!" With a flick of his wand, the words floated above his head and the singing began. Actually, Buffy wasn't sure she would classify the cacophony as music. She began to see why the professors hated and the students loved the ritual. It was hard to hear the actual words of the song.

__

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something, please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

Harry and Ron were the last to finish singing as they were using the dirge that Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers, had always used. Apparently they were doing some sort of tribute according to Hagrid.

"Well done." Dumbledore said, with a small tear in his eye. "Class schedules will be past out in the morning during breakfast. Don't forget to sign up for the new classes. You are excused."


	7. I'm The Slayer

Chapter Six

I'm The Slayer

Harry woke up the next morning excited about the first day of classes, something that wasn't a common occurrence. But he never had exciting classes with cool teachers to look forward to before. Last night he and Ron had dropped Trelawney's divination class in favor of one of the new electives. Ron was going to take the wiccan magic class with Hermione. Although Harry suspected Ron's eagerness to take the class had more to do with Hermione than with the actual course. He had noticed the looks his friend had been giving her lately, and they weren't just in a friendly nature.

He shook his head ruefully, like he had room to talk. He was going to take the Demonology Classification with Dawn and Ginny. He had heard that Professor Giles had requested they mixed years and houses up for his class. Harry hoped that he would be in class with both Dawn and Gin.

Harry sighed as he ran his hand through his unruly hair, Dawn and Ginny. He admitted he was quite infatuated with Dawn, but who could blame him. They had grown so close over the summer and had shared so many secrets. She was so smart, but never showed off her intelligence. She had a thirst for life, to enjoy it to its fullest. Plus, the fact that she was gorgeous didn't hurt either.

But when Ginny had arrived last week, he had felt a little flutter in his heart. Merlin, she had changed over the summer. Gone was the shy, gangly girl he had known since his second year. In her place was a vibrant, beautiful woman. She no long blushed in his presence and was much surer of herself. It made him wonder what had brought on these changes and why they even mattered to him.

"Oy, Harry, you up?" Ron asked as he climbed out of bed.

"Yeah, you're awake early."

"I know, it's weird. I think Hermione has rubbed off on me. I'm actually looking forward to class."

"Me too. It was bound to happen you know. We have been giving her all of our bad habits, so we were bound to pick up one or two of her good ones."  
"Yeah, but did it have to be her desire for class?" Ron asked with a frown.

Harry chuckled. "Let's get ready and go eat breakfast."

Ron's eyes lit up. "Now there's a reason to get up early."

*******

In the Gryffindor girl's prefect's room, Hermione and Ginny were also getting ready. Their roommate, Cecily Adara the seventh year prefect, had already headed down to breakfast.

"I hope I have DADA first." Ginny said with a sigh.

"You really have a thing for Spike don't you?" Hermione asked with a laugh.

"Oh come on 'Mione. You can't tell me that you haven't noticed how handsome he is. I know you're not blind 'cause I remember how you lusted after Lockhart."

"I did not _lust_ after Lockhart. I just found him extremely handsome."  
"Yeah, whatever. Ron told me how you had answered every question correctly on his quiz about himself."

"Like you weren't obsessed over him, too?"

"Actually, I wasn't. I was too wrapped up in Harry, if you'll recall."

"Ahh, I see. Now instead of lusting after Harry, you're now lusting over Spike."  
Ginny blushed and ducked her head. "I'm not lusting after Spike, I know he's with Professor Summers. I just don't see what's wrong with admiring him."

"And what about Harry?"

Ginny sighed and crossed to the window. She paused for a moment before she answered. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still attracted to him, but I've finally come to terms with a few things. I don't think he'll ever stop seeing me as Ron's little sister or as just a friend. I'm grateful that he loves me as friend, even if he'll never see me as anything more. Besides, I think he likes Dawn."

Hermione's heart broke for her redheaded friend. She knew how she felt, cause she was dealing with some of those same emotions herself. She doubted that Ron would ever see her as anything more than a friend either. She had seen no evidence to dispute that, so she had kept her feeling carefully hidden.

She crossed to Ginny and hugged her. They both stood looking out the window before returning to finish getting ready in silence.

******

During breakfast Hermione had to keep restraining herself from rolling her eyes as she listened to Ron and Harry talk about quidditch. The conversations had become nearly intolerable after Ron had made the house team as a chaser last year, along with Seamus Finnigan. What had amazed her was that Dawn was enraptured by the conversation. Hermione wasn't even sure that Dawn knew how to fly, let alone knew what quidditch was.

"So, who else is on the house team?" Dawn was asking.

"Talan Stottlemire is the other chaser and Caleb Andrews is the keeper." Ron answered.

"What about the beaters?" Dawn asked.

__

Apparently she knows more about quidditch than I had thought. Then Hermione remembered that Dawn had spent a good deal of time with Harry over the summer, it would have been inevitable that she would have learned about the game.

"We need to hold tryouts for those positions cause our former beaters, Fred and George, graduated last year. McGonagall and I will make the final decision." Harry explained.

"Why do you get a say in it?"

"Cause I'm captain this year." Harry said with some pride.

Before Hermione thought her head would explode with any more quidditch talk, McGonagall stopped by with their new class schedules. They sat in silence for a few moments while they perused their own papers.

"We have muggle defense followed by potions this morning, great. My good mood from my first class will be squashed by my second." Harry grumbled.

"Hey, maybe we'll have muggle defense with Slytherins and get to kick their ass!" Ron said, rather loudly.

"Ron!"  
"Sorry, 'Mione. I got a little excited." He said sheepishly.

"Well, it is possible, Ron. But I doubt even Dumbledore would do that. There are too many chances of students getting seriously injured."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ron said glumly.

"But we do have a double wiccan magic class in the afternoon." Hermione's heart almost burst when he flashed a large smile in her direction.

"When do you guys have demonology?" Ginny asked.

"I have it this afternoon, what about you, Harry?" Dawn replied.

"Me too." He looked at Ginny, who smiled and nodded. Great! Wait, not great. Both objects of his affections would be sharing a class with him.

"So, when do you have DADA, Ginny?" Hermione asked, with the slightest hint of a smirk on her face.

Ginny blushed lightly. "This morning after herbology. I don't have muggle defense until tomorrow."

"Oh! It's almost time for class. We'd better go."  
"'Mione, class doesn't start for another twenty minutes."

"I know, Ron. But I don't want to be late. Dawn said Professor Summers and Spike had something special planned for the first class and I want to make sure I get a good seat."

With that she headed out of the hall.

The rest sat there and thought about it for a second before they quickly got up to follow her.

*********

Buffy entered her classroom and suppressed a smile. She should have known that those four would be the first ones to arrive for class. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Dawn had seated themselves on the mats and sat there smiling expectantly at her. Only Harry and Dawn were in sweats, the other two were still in their robes.

Buffy, herself, had opted for a pair of gray sweats and a white tank top and her feet were bare. She had pulled her blond hair up in a messy ponytail to keep it out of her face. She looked up as Spike walked in the room and she felt the familiar twinge in her stomach that she had long associated with him

Spike had also forgone robes and was wearing his normal black t-shirt and jeans. He took off his boots and strolled over to the window. Buffy had noticed that although he had been able to walk in the sun for nearly two months now, it hadn't curbed his fascination with it.

She looked away from her lover when she heard a commotion at the door. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the cause, Draco Malfoy. She had been wary of Dumbledore's decision to place Slytherins and Gryffindors in her class together, knowing the animosity they held for each other. But she had learned in the past two months that when Dumbledore made up his mind there was no changing it. She just hoped that the students wouldn't kill each other.

Buffy had also heard the stories about Draco. Spike had seemed pretty familiar with the family, saying they had been involved with the black arts, even when he had been a student here. The Malfoys were trouble. They held themselves above the rest of the wizarding community, and Draco seemed like no exception. Buffy smiled inwardly, _Let's just see how far that holier than thou attitude will take you in my class._

The petite slayer couldn't help but grin as she noticed how the houses sat on opposite sides of the room with a definite path between them.

After everyone had gotten seated she quickly called role. After noting that everyone was there, she began.

"My name is Buffy Summers. Don't call me Professor 'cause I probably won't answer, I'll just look around to see who you're talking to. Just call me Buffy.

"As you've already heard from Dumbledore, I am the current slayer. Does anyone know who the slayer is?" Harry, Dawn, Hermione, and Ron's hands shot up. "Besides you four?" Buffy knew that Dawn had already told them most of what had happened in her life. She looked around and no one else seemed to have the slightest clue. "Gees, I thought the American system was lacking. All right Ron, who is the slayer?"

"She's a girl who has enhanced speed and strength so she can fight vampires. There can be only one, and when she dies another is called."

"Good. Ten points for Gryffindor. Now who can tell me what a vampire is?" The same four raised their hands and Buffy rolled her eyes. "Anyone else?" She saw a hand raise on the Slytherin side, she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"A vampire is a demon that animates a dead human. It looks like a normal human, but really isn't. They drink blood to survive and cannot walk in the sun."

"Very good. Ten points for Slytherin. Now, how do you kill a vampire?" Again the four hands went up and Buffy gave up. "Dawn."

Dawn's eyes lit up and she began excitedly, "well, there are several different ways. The two most common ways are a wooden stake through the heart or decapitation. But you could also set them on fire, or douse them with enough holy water. The easiest way to do that is with a super soaker and."  
"That's enough, thanks Dawn." Most of the students were looking at Dawn with wide eyes. It was obvious that she had had experiences fighting vampires.

"Now I'm sure most of you are wondering why you have to take this class." There was a loud grumble from the Slytherins. "It's very simple."

Then Buffy and Spike proceeded with the same demonstration that they had shown Harry several months earlier. When they had finished, all but Dawn and Harry were sitting there in amazement.

"The next question to answer is why is Spike helping me with this class. I have to have someone to spar with and to demonstrate moves with that I don't have to worry about hurting. Now, without help from the peanut gallery." Buffy said, looking at four specific Gryffindors. "Who would like to guess why I can fight with Spike?"

Everyone looked at Buffy with blank expressions. Harry and Dawn smiled at each other, they knew what was coming.

Buffy and Spike shared a look, then she turned back to the class. "He's a vampire."

"But that's impossible!" Draco yelled. "He's standing in sunlight! You said they couldn't do that!"

Spike brought his demon face forward, and the students screamed. He quickly put his human mask back and waited for the students to calm down. He caught Harry and Dawn smirking at him.

"How is it possible?" Gasped one Gryffindor.

"Easy, ducks. Albus gave me an earring that allows me to walk in the sun. As for why I'm not killing you? I changed a long time ago, I work for the Powers That Be now."  
"The Powers That Be?" asked Neville.

"Yeah, we'll go into that during DADA. Now, don't tell anyone else who I am till next week. Each class needs to see me to understand. Got it?" They all nodded. "Take it away, luv."

Buffy smiled at him, then turned back to the class. "If you want to learn why I trust him and haven't staked him yet, I'm sure we can arrange a meeting with all who wish to know the story one weekend. But as for right now, you are still in my class.

"From now on you need to wear clothes you can move in. Similar to mine or Spike's, or even Dawn and Harry's. You will be expected to work in this class, and you will sweat, a lot. But if you take it seriously, it can save your life one day. For the last several minutes of class, Spike and I will do another demonstration, this one with no wands. You guys might want to move, we have a tendency to get a little carried away."  
After everyone stood and stepped out of the way, against the walls, Spike turned to Buffy. "Ready to dance, slayer?"

"Always." With that Buffy launched herself at Spike. They traded blows and kicks, neither really getting the upper hand.

"Wicked. It's almost as if they are dancing." Ron said.

"This is nothing, they're just playing. If they were really sparring, it would be harder to follow their movements." Dawn said, her eyes never leaving them. She loved to watch them fight, it was almost like poetry in motion.

After Buffy landed a kick that knocked Spike across the room they stopped. Buffy looked at everyone with a smile, she wasn't even breathing hard. "If you practice hard, one day you will be able to move like we just did. Class is excused."

Everyone but Neville exited the class talking excitedly.

"Can I help you?" Buffy asked as Spike put his boots back on.

"Were you serious about people becoming as good as you?"  
"What's your name again?"

"Neville Longbottom."  
Buffy recognized the name from some of Harry's stories. "Listen, Neville. You may never acquire my speed and strength because they were a gift to me from the PTB. But you can get faster, stronger and more sure of yourself through my class. The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it."  
"Buff, I'm heading to class." Spike called.

"Ok hon, have fun."  
"Always." He replied with a smirk then he ducked out.

"Do you really want to learn Neville?" He nodded his head. "Tell you what. Meet me here every night at seven and I'll give you some extra help. I meet with Dawn and Harry at that time also."  
Neville's face broke out into the biggest smile Buffy had ever seen. "I'll be there professor." She shot him a mock glare. "I mean Buffy."  
"All right, go on to your next class. I'll see you tonight at seven."  



	8. Demons And Witches

Chapter Seven

Demons and Witches

Not even Snape's potions class could dispel Harry's good mood. The terrified look on Malfoy's face when Spike had morphed into his demon was priceless. It had gone on his very short list of favorite Malfoy moments, along with the time when the fake Alastor Moody had turned him into a ferret their fourth year.

He was currently eating lunch with his friends when he noticed that Malfoy was looking at Dawn again. He had seen Malfoy doing that a lot the past week, but didn't mention anything to Dawn cause he didn't want to scare her. That, and he couldn't figure out why he was doing it. Sure, she was gorgeous, but since she wasn't a pureblood, he couldn't understand why Malfoy wanted to watch her.

Suddenly, fear gripped his heart. What if Malfoy knew she was the key? He needed to talk to Ron soon. If Malfoy did know, then she could be in a lot of trouble. But then again, it's not like she was never in danger before. She had had a hellgod after her before and was still here. Still, he would tell Ron so they could keep an eye on Malfoy. He just didn't want anything to happen to her.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts about Dawn by the sound of Ginny's voice. He turned to her and once again felt his heart flutter. The more he was around her, the more he was enraptured by her. Harry inwardly sighed as he listened to her talk about her DADA class with Spike. He feared that he had been shoved to the back of her mind and that the vampire had replaced him as her new crush. He knew that nothing could happen between Ginny and Spike, but it still hurt him a little that she no longer looked at him like he was her world.

"Harry!"

"What?!"

"I said, it's time to go to Demonology, weren't you listening?" Ginny asked.

"Huh, Gin? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking."  
"Must have been something serious; there was a frown on your face." Dawn said, concern entering her voice.

"Oh, no. It's just...I was...It was nothing." He shot Ron a look and he nodded.

Dawn gave him a look that showed she didn't believe him, but let it drop. "Well, we'd better get movin'. Giles hates it when people are late."

Hermione watched the three of them as they left. She didn't notice Ron as he put a hand on her leg.

"'Mione? Hermione?"

Startled, she looked up at him. It was then that she noticed where his hand was, she blushed slightly. "What?"

"Now you're the one with the frown, what's wrong?"

"I was just thinking."  
"What else is new? What were you thinking about?"

Hermione got lost in her thoughts again. _Poor Ginny, maybe she was right about Harry and Dawn._

"'Mione!"  
"It's nothing really, it's just...I don't really want to talk about it."  
"Fine, don't tell me." With that, he grabbed his books and stomped away.

Hermione sighed. First day of school and they were already arguing. She couldn't tell him what she was thinking about Ginny and Harry cause she was feeling the same way about Ron and herself. _Stupid boys, don't know what's standing in front of them._ She sighed again as she picked up her books and ran to catch up with Ron.

*******

Anya sat in the classroom with Giles nervously awaiting the arrival of the students. Since their class was an elective they didn't have a full teaching load like other members of the faculty. This was to be their first class of the day. Anya was scared to let these kids know that she was a demon. Although, like Spike, not much of what she did anymore was considered demon worthy.

She hoped that these kids wouldn't treat her differently like the scooby gang had. She remembered how guarded they were around her, watching every word that came out of their mouths. It had taken months for them to readjust to her being a demon.

What had helped was the day Dawn came home upset about her current boyfriend. Although, ex-boyfriend would have been a better description.

Dawn had finally finished this long tirade about his unfaithfulness with, "I wish his fingers would shrivel and fall off."

There was a collective gasp and they all looked at Anya.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to grant her wish?" Buffy had asked.

"No, don't do that anymore."  
"But, you're still a demon, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"So, why not?"  
"Because Xander, the only reason I became a vengeance demon again was to punish you. Now, it's true I granted a few wishes at first, but it was no longer any fun. The only reason I've continued to be a demon is so I can transport anywhere, makes traveling easier."

After that incident the tension had eased up and she was part of the group again.

Anya looked up as the students began to pile into the room. She smiled as Dawn, Harry, and Ginny walked in. She relaxed a little. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad, at least she had some students on her side in the class.

Giles quickly called role then got down to business in his no nonsense way. "As you already know, I'm Professor Giles and this is Professor Emerson. In this class you will learn about demons and how to classify them. But before I begin, I would like to learn what you already know. So, first question, what is a demon?"

Dawn and Harry sat quietly so they could hear the students responses. They had a feeling about what Giles was leading up to, much like in Buffy's class. This time they decided not to get involved in the discussion.

"Something that's not human!" A sixth year Hufflepuff named Susan Bones declared. Giles nodded absently.

"They don't have souls or feelings!" Colin Creevey, a fifth year Gryffindor, said.

"They are evil and cause death and destruction!" Kevin Entwistle, a sixth year Ravenclaw added.

Giles held up his hands to stop them. "What if I told you that you were only partially correct?"  
Cries of "No, that's impossible!" Rose up from the students.

Giles raised his hands again. "In this class you will learn that not all is as it seems. While it is true that most demons don't look anything at all like humans, there are some that go about in human disguises, like vampires."  
All the sixth year Gryffindors in the class nodded their heads in agreement and Giles chuckled slightly before he continued. Harry looked around and noticed that Giles had everyone's full attention.

"And yes, most demons don't have souls or feelings, but there are exceptions to that definition also. I happen to know five demons personally who are unusual in this manner."

A hushed murmur rippled through he room. Anya began to get fidgety, she knew her moment was coming.

"Then, there are, of course, demons who set out to destroy the planet and all those upon it, and then..."  
"There are some who are productive members of society!" Anya called out cheerfully. This time giggles were heard from the class.

"Ahh, thank you, Anya. That was, informative." Anya just smiled brightly from her seat. "Now, how many of you have seen a demon?"

All the sixth year Gryffindors raised their hands, along with one or two others.

"Gryffindors, will you please lower your hands, no mention of that til next week. Who's left?" He spotted a young Ravenclaw in the back named Stewart Ackerley. "Mr. Ackerley, would you like to share what you've seen?"

The young boy's eyes widened and he shook his head no.

"Very well, anyone else?" Dawn raised her hand. Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose,_ this should be good_. "Yes, Dawn.

"Actually, I've seen several different kinds, like vampires, several vengeance demons. And, ohh that thing that moved around in the walls during Buffy's birthday party. Then there were these dirt demonlike things..."  
"Ok Dawn, thank you. Let's go back to the matter that demons aren't humans. Remember how I told you that some went in human disguises?" The class nodded. "What would you say, if I told you that there was a demon in this room, right now?"

The class sat looking at him in shocked silence. Dawn tried not to laugh when she looked over at Anya, who was trying very hard not to say anything yet. But apparently she lost the fight when she jumped up.

"It's me! I'm a demon!"

"You can't be a demon, you're too pretty!" A boy called out.

"Wanna make a bet?" With that she let her demon face show. Surprisingly enough, the students just sat there in amazement. "Well, that's never happened before." She put her human face back.

"So what kind of demon are you?" Colin asked.

"I'm a vengeance demon, I used to grant wishes for scorned women."  
"But you don't anymore."  
"It's a way long story why I stopped, but it used to be a lot of fun. One time, in Russia, this woman wished..."  
"Thank you, Anya." Giles said, cutting her off before she could go into a colorful and inappropriate story.

"As you can see," Giles continued. "Not all demons are out to destroy the world. In this class you will learn to tell the difference between who's good, and who's evil."  
*******

Hermione caught up with Ron and grabbed his arm, turning him around. "Hey, would you stop for a second and let me explain!"

Ron turned to her with hurt in his eyes. "Fine, talk."

"I couldn't tell you because it was personal, girl stuff that Ginny had told me."

"Oh. I just thought...Oh, never mind."

"You thought what?"

"Well, you're one of my best friends, 'Mione. I thought we could talk about anything, and when you wouldn't answer my question, I got upset. I'm sorry, I'm so stupid sometimes."

"Ron Weasley, you are not stupid! You just didn't give me time to explain anything."  
"Sorry. Hey, we'd better hurry or we'll be late!"

They rushed off to class and were the last two to enter the room. They quickly found some seats and class began.

"Who can tell me the differences between wiccan magic and wand magic?" Willow asked brightly. She was excited to be teaching again. She had loved the time when she had taken over computer class in high school after Miss Calendar had died. 

Willow wasn't surprised to see Hermione's hand in the air. From what she had heard the bushy-haired girl was very intelligent and was diligent with all her schoolwork, much like she had been at that age. "Miss Granger."

"The difference is mainly where the magic comes from. Our magic is in our blood; we just use our wands to focus it, that's why we take such care in buying a wand. Since it is essentially an extension of ourselves it has to match us perfectly. Wiccans pull their magic from an outside source, be it gods, the earth, or even elemental magic. Wiccan magic corrupts more easily than wand magic because of this."

Willow was impressed. "Someone has done their homework already I see. Fifteen points for Gryffindor. Miss Granger is right, wiccan magic can corrupt quite easily, that's why there are rules to help the wielder. One being that you are to never use it for personal gain. That alone can cause many problems with the dark arts."  
"However, we will only be teaching the white magic." Tara began. "Mostly defensive spells, like barriers. Since these can be performed without wands you can use them to protect yourself if you ever loose your wand."  
"Are there any questions before we begin?" Willow asked.

A girl in the back of the room raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Brocklehurst."

"Is it true that a wiccan tried to end the world a year ago?"

Willow's face drained of color, she hadn't expected that one. She felt Tara's hand on her arm and looked into her worried face.

~You don't have to tell her everything.~

~Yes, Tara, I do. They deserve to know who's teaching them.~

~I'll be right here.~

Willow smiled gratefully at her, then turned back to the student. "Yes, it is true, and I'm the one who tried to do it."

There were some gasps and most of the students looked surprised. How could a beautiful young woman have so much hate inside of her to try and do that?

"Why?" She heard someone ask.

"It's quite a long story. I had begun to dabble in the dark arts several years ago to help Buffy fight a hellgod." There were more whispers about that statement. "I became too confident in my abilities, cocky even. I started using my magic for little things, not for battle, and it began to corrupt me. But I was able to stop myself.

"Then, Tara got shot, and I thought she was dead. And something inside of me snapped. I pulled in all the dark energies that I could, and livin' on a hellmouth provided me with a lot of energy. I went after the one who had hurt Tara. I killed him, but didn't stop there. The power had overtaken me. I decided the only way to stop the pain and anger was to end the world.

"Luckily, I had a friend who stopped me." She smiled wistfully as she remembered Xander talking her down. She heard sniffles and saw that the girls had tears in their eyes. The next thing she knew, Hermione had come up and enveloped her in a huge hug. Then suddenly, all the girls came up for a group hug.

Ron looked around, and for the first time, realized that he was the only boy in the class. _Bloody hell!_


	9. Secrets

Chapter Eight

Secrets

"Harry! It's awful!" Ron lamented as he sat down next to his friend in the Great Hall. The girls had not arrived for dinner yet.

"What is?"

"Wiccan magic." He answered, as he dropped his head into his hands.

"Why? Tara and Willow seemed like they would be cool professors."

"No, it's not them. I'm the only guy in the class!"  
Harry just looked at his best friend for a moment, then started laughing.

"It's not funny Harry. What the hell am I going to do? What was I thinking?"

"Why did you take the class in the first place?" Harry asked around his laughter.

"To get out of divination." Ron explained, turning to Harry. "You know that."

"Yeah, but you could have taken demonology with me and Dawn."

Ron sat there for a second, then his face turned the same color as his hair.

"That's what I thought." Harry said smugly. "You know there are better ways of getting Hermione's attention than taking class with her."

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

"Why don't you just tell her that you like her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry just looked at him. Ron dropped his gaze to the floor and sighed. "Because what if she doesn't like me, then it would be awkward between us. I don't want to loose her as a friend."  
Harry nodded his head, he understood what Ron was trying to say. He caught a glimpse of white blond hair, then suddenly remembered Dawn.

"Ron, we need to keep an eye on Malfoy."

"What for?"

"Because he's up to something. He never takes his eyes off of Dawn."

Ron's eyes widened. "You don't think he knows that she's the...well you know, do ya?" Ron asked in a hushed tone.

"I don't know, it's possible. Whatever it is, it can't be good. But don't tell Dawn, I don't want to worry her until we know for sure."

"But Harry, she can take care of herself. I mean, it's not like she's never been in danger before."

"I know, but.."

Ron started to laugh. "You like her."

"Well of course I do, you guys do too."

"No, I mean you fancy her. Better not let..." Then Ron suddenly remembered Hermione watching the other three leave the Great Hall after lunch. She knew that Harry liked Dawn, and so did Ginny. Ginny loved Harry so much, it must be hard to see him go after another girl. Ron could only imagine the pain his sister was feeling. He only prayed that he would never have to watch someone chase his Hermione.

"Better not what, Ron?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't finish."

"Nothing, I just remembered something. Besides, here come the girls."

Harry was only able to give Ron a questioning look before the girls plopped next to them. He took a quick glance at the Slytherin table. Sure enough, Malfoy's eyes were glued to Dawn. Harry seethed inwardly until he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see a pair of brown eyes looking at him, and instantly he calmed.

"Yeah, Gin?"

"I asked what the two of you were talking about."  
"Huh, oh nothing. Just quidditch tryouts." Harry said, looking pleadingly at Ron.

"What? Oh, yeah, quidditch tryouts."

"When are they?" Dawn asked.

"Hopefully next week." Harry replied. "I want as much practice with the new players as possible."  
"Here we go." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "I have a feeling Harry is going to be as obsessed with being captain as Oliver was."  
"He was not obsessed!" Harry protested, defending his friend. "He was just extremely dedicated."  
"If you say so." Hermione fought from rolling her eyes again. Looking for a way to change the subject she asked, "so what does everyone plan on doing tonight?"

"Harry and I have training with Buffy and Spike."

"Don't you do enough of that in class?" Ginny asked.

"They just want us to have extra training." Dawn said with a shrug. "What about everyone else?"

"I'm going to the library to do research."  
"On what? Surely you don't have a paper due already?"

"No Dawn, 'Mione just likes to research. She does it for fun." Ron explained.

"Actually, I was going to look up information on the key."  
"That's nice, but you really don't need to do that. The need for the key is gone."

"Maybe not. You said Dumbledore told you that the reason you're a witch is because of the magic of the key, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Obviously there is more to the key than sending Glory home. Wouldn't you like to know what that could be?"

Dawn sat there in silence, she had never thought about being the key since Glory died. The whole reason the key had been created was to send her home, and now she was gone. But Hermione was right. If the need for the key was truly gone, then she wouldn't be a witch, the magic would have been used up with the portal.

Dawn's forehead crinkled. "Maybe you're right. But you don't have to do the research for me."  
"I don't mind, it's a challenge." Hermione said with a smile.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do, mind if I join you?" Ron asked with a hopeful look on his face.

Hermione just blushed and nodded.

*********

Draco sat by himself in the Great Hall eating dinner. He had purposely sat away from his so-called friends so he could think.

So the DADA professor was a vampire. Not only was he a vampire, but he was one who worked beside a vampire slayer and for the PTB, whoever they were. But the point was he was an evil creature who was a white hat. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

There had to have been some reason that Spike had switched sides. And whatever it was, it had to be big in order for him to go against his nature. If a vampire could go against his very being, Draco was sure he could go against his father and Voldemort. But how could he do that and not get killed in the process?

He felt a pull on his senses and looked up to see his angel enter the Great Hall flanked by two famous female Gryffindors. He sighed, he doubted that would ever get her, no matter how much he changed. He frowned as she sat next to Potter. Shit! Potter caught him staring again. This was madness! Too many problems to deal with at one time.

He needed to deal with his father first, but how? How would he be able to hide from him once he turned on him? Obviously he couldn't go home, or to any of his relatives, they all practiced the dark arts. He couldn't tell any of his fellow Slytherins because most were destined to be death eaters. His house head, Snape, was high in the ranks of the death eaters himself, so that left him out. Potter would never believe him, would think he was a spy for Voldemort. That left only one possibility.

Dumbledore.

Draco hated the thought of going to the old man, but didn't see where he had much of a choice. The fact that his father hated him probably meant he had a lot of power and would be able to defeat him if necessary. He had no other choice, he had to go to him for help.

*******

Hermione was finding it hard to concentrate with Ron sitting across from her. The candles in the library created a soft glow around him and his red hair glowed. She kept finding herself staring at him, just drinking in his handsome features.

He had changed quite a bit since she had met him their first year on the train. He had grown quite tall and thanks to all the quidditch playing, he had a lean muscular frame. She began to wonder how it would feel to be held in his arms.

__

He's just a friend! She reminded herself as she dropped her gaze back to the tome in front of her. _Besides, why would he find you attractive?_ She asked herself as she ran her hands through her bushy hair. True, over the years she had filled out nicely, getting the right amount of curves. But her hair was still just as unruly.

__

Concentrate! She chastised herself and looked back to the same passage she had already read a half a dozen times before.

"'Mione, is there something wrong?"

"No, why?"

"Did you find something then? You've been on the same page for nearly half an hour."

"No, nothing yet."  
They sat in silence again as they turned back to their respective books.

"It's about Harry and Dawn isn't it?" Ron asked suddenly.

"What is?"

"What you couldn't tell me this morning."  
"Why do you say that?"

"I just noticed the way he looks at her, plus he doesn't want to tell her about Malfoy staring at her."  
"Why would he be staring at Dawn?" Hermione asked curiously.

"We think it's about this." He said, gesturing to the books.

Her eyes narrowed and she nodded. "All the more reason to find out all we can about the key." With that she turned back to the book with renewed vigor.

*******

Now that he was starting to get the hang of it, Harry was beginning to enjoy his training sessions with Dawn. Spike was overseeing their sparring that evening and giving pointers while Buffy was working with Neville. He was glad to see someone helping him, hopefully he would get more confidence.

"Bit, you're dropping your shoulder again."

"Sorry Spike." Dawn said as she corrected the problem.

Harry chanced a glance to see how Neville was doing, but it was enough for Dawn to land a solid punch on his chin, knocking him to the ground.

"Pay attention to the fight at hand Harry! If you let yourself get distracted you'll be dead."

"Yes Spike." Harry humbly said as Dawn helped him up from the floor. Spike nodded for them to continue.

The two began sparring again and Harry couldn't help but be taken in by her simple beauty. She moved easily as she threw and blocked punches. Even her sweat made her skin glisten and glow. He was still amazed by the power hidden in her delicate frame. Dawn had told him that since she had been made from Buffy that she obtained some slayer strength and speed. While she would never be a match for Buffy, she did have an extra edge over others.

Harry threw a punch which Dawn easily ducked and in one swift motion kicked his legs out from under him. He once again landed hard on the mat.

"I think Harry's had enough, he's clearly not with us tonight. Why don't you two run along and do your schoolwork." Spike told them, helping Harry to his feet.

"All right, night Spike! Night Buffy!" Dawn said as she and Harry ran out of the room

Spike turned to watch Buffy finish up with Neville. She was taking a different route with him. Instead of throwing him into sparring sessions like she had with Harry and Dawn, she was starting with co-ordination and self-confidence. 

From what Spike had gathered, Neville was a rather nervous and klutzy boy who was continually picked on. Buffy said the boy had approached her with wide eyes and asked if he would really be able to do what she did. She had decided then and there to take the boy under her wing. Spike smiled at the amount of compassion his mate showed for others and how she was always helping those around her become better people. Himself included.

Buffy's movements were like flowing water compared to Neville's jerky movements as she taught him a simple kata, but at least the boy was trying. Spike could spend the rest of his life watching her move and be perfectly content.

Buffy gave Neville a light hug as she said bye, then turned to Spike. "Ready to patrol?"

"Always luv."  
*******

Later that evening the scooby gang gathered in the common room that joined their rooms together. Dumbledore had wanted them to have a meeting place of their own.

"Something's coming Giles, my spidey sense is going wacky."

"Yeah watcher, there's definitely something brewin'."

"Is it anything you've seen, or is it just a feeling?" Giles asked as he cleaned his glasses.

"Just a feeling so far, the dark forest hasn't changed really since we got here, same old demons and whatnot. Spike and I were thinking of looking around Hogsmeade this weekend."  
"Fine, fine, good idea. Maybe you'll pick up some information there. Has anyone else noticed anything?"

"Nothing more than first day jitters." Willow piped up.

"How did everyone's classes go?" Buffy asked.

"Not too bad. Hagrid's got some cool creatures for class this year. He's actually getting a griffin for the sixth years!" Xander said excitedly.

Buffy looked curiously at Xander. "A griffin?"

"Yeah, it's half lion, half eagle."  
"They also have the potential to be vicious." Spike said skeptically. "I hope he finds a friendly one, or there's gonna be trouble."

"Our girls are wonderful." Willow said with tears in her eyes.

"They were very supportive even when they had heard about what she had done." Tara said with a smile as she put her arm around Willow, then she giggled. "Although, poor Ron, he's the only boy in the class."

"I take it things went well with your class Buffy, at least by judging the reactions of the Gryffindors I had in class." Giles said after the laughter had died down.

"Yeah, they totally freaked when Spike morphed, especially since he was standing in the sun." Buffy said with a mischievous smile on her face. "But they settled once they realized he wasn't going to hurt them. What about your class?"

"They freaked out about Spike?" Anya exclaimed.

"Yeah demon-girl, why?"

"They just sat and looked at me. That sucks! I'm way scarier than Spike." They looked at her. "Well I could be."

"How's Dawn doing?" Tara asked.

"Fine, she's already made friends with students in her house. Although, I think being friends with Harry helped."

"That's good." Willow said with a yawn. "Guess I'd better get to bed. Coming Tara?"

"Yeah, night everyone."

They all realized how late it was and headed to their own rooms.

Spike turned to Buffy as they were getting ready for bed. "I think Harry likes Dawn."

"So?"

"I don't like it."

Buffy laughed. "Spike, she's sixteen years old, it was bound to happen. You can't protect her from everything, believe me I've tried."  
"He could hurt her, I don't like it."

"It could be worse you know. It could be Draco Malfoy after her."

"True," Spike said as his eyes darkened. "It could be worse. Still doesn't mean I have to like it."


	10. Training

Chapter Nine

Training

Ginny lay in her bed and watched the sun rise. She found her heavy heart was making it hard for her to sleep. Even though she had told Hermione yesterday that she was moving on from her five-year crush on Harry, her head was having a hard time convincing her heart of it. She knew that intellectually that Harry would never care for her the way she cared for him, but her heart wouldn't let go of hope. It kept telling her that there was always a chance that he would realize what was before him.

She had seen the way he looked at Dawn, but she couldn't really blame him. Dawn was very beautiful. She had a simple grace that showed as she moved. She was also one of the nicest people Ginny had ever met. She was friendly to everyone and seemed to genuinely care for Harry for who he was and not his celebrity status. She had even gone out of her way to make friends with them; she was interested in their lives away from Harry. It would be so much easier if she hated Dawn, but she didn't.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried for the hundredth time that night to sleep. However, Harry's face floated on the back of her eyelids. His green eyes sparkled and his smile seemed to shine for her alone. His tousled hair just made him more endearing. If only that was true in real life and not her fantasies.

Ginny opened her eyes chasing his image away. It was obvious that sleep was still alluding her. Maybe if she avoided Harry it would help convince her heart to move on. _No,_ she thought, _that has never helped over the summer holidays. As a matter of fact it only made it worse._

She heard Hermione moving around on the bed next to her. She knew that it would be time to get up soon. _Just what she needed, to face another day watching Harry with Dawn with no sleep._ Maybe that's what would help! If she spent more time around them, seeing them together, maybe that would convince her stupid heart to move on.

Or maybe she could find another guy to concentrate her attentions on, but the question was who? She wasn't attracted to another guy there, and she wasn't the kind of girl to make up affections for someone just to get over another. Plus, it wasn't fair to the other guy.

Ginny sighed. Her only option was to spend time with them. She knew she would be having a lot more sleepless nights before this was over. This was going to hurt, a lot.

One bright side for the day, according to the others Spike would be there for muggle defense.

******

Ron's thoughts were also in a chaotic jumble as he got ready that morning. Only one day had past for the school year and they already had a mystery on their hands, Malfoy's attentions on Dawn. He knew it had to be about her being the key, it would be the only thing that would attract his attention. Ron supposed it could be because of her looks, but she wasn't a pureblood and therefore, in Malfoy's sick mind, beneath him.

Although Ron really didn't see how pretty she was, to him her beauty paled in comparison to his Hermione. _Humph, my Hermione, like she'd ever be mine._ He knew he wasn't as smart as she was and always felt that because of it he wasn't worthy of her. And he wasn't like Krum and have money to buy her all sorts of things. What could he really offer her? It was times like this that he hated being poor.

It had taken him a while, but he had finally admitted it to himself over the summer. He was in love with Hermione. He wasn't sure when or how it happened, just that it had. He loved everything about her from her bushy hair, to her brains, right down to the cute way she crinkled her nose up whenever she disapproved of whatever harebrained scheme he and Harry had thought up.

He had told Harry the truth, however. He was never going to tell her for fear of ruining their friendship. He needed her too much to ever risk the chance of loosing her. He could live with just her friendship if it meant having her with him forever. Course, this didn't mean he wasn't above trying to find more ways to spend time with her.

Ron sighed quietly. He was pretty sure this was also how Ginny was feeling about Harry. Although hers was probably worse since she was seeing him with another girl. He wished there was something he could do to alleviate the pain she felt, but he knew that only time could heal that wound. As much as Ron wanted to protect his baby sister, he had to let her grow up and experience things for herself.

He looked at his watch. "Bloody hell! I'm late for breakfast!" With that, he grabbed him booked and ran out the door.

******

The next day found the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins back in Muggle Defense. This time all the students were suitably dressed for class.

"The first thing you need to learn in balance and control. All the strength in the world and even technique won't help you if you don't know how to control it and stay centered. Now some of this might be kind of weird for you and it might seem like it has nothing to do with defending yourself, but trust me. When you master these exercises, the rest will be child's play." Buffy said with a smile.

"Now, I want everyone to stand and make sure you have plenty of space around you to move." She calmly waited while the students situated themselves around the room. "Ok. Place your feet shoulders width apart and stand up straight. Pretend there's a wire pulling from the top of your head. Close your eyes."

Buffy and Spike began to walk around the room checking everyone's posture. "Relax Miss Parkinson, don't keep your shoulders at your ears. Your body should be straight and tall but relaxed. Concentrate on your breathing. Very good Miss Granger. Now everyone raise up onto the balls of your feet and try not to wobble. Ok, back down."

And so class went, with Buffy running them through seemingly easy motions to help them with their balance and control. Most of the students were loath to admit it, but the exercises were harder than they seemed, and they were rather tired and sore by the time the class ended.

"Just remember, the more you put into this class, the more you will get out of it. If you need any help or have any questions outside of class, please don't hesitate to find me. You guys did some great work today. You're excused."

*******

During lunch Ron suddenly had an idea. "Harry, you said that Buffy was also training Neville at night with you and Dawn, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Think she would take another student on?"  
"I don't see why not." Dawn answered for him. "You heard what she said in class today. I think she's hoping more will want extra help."  
Ron smiled. "I think I'll join you then. What about you two?" He asked, turning to Hermione and Ginny.

Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why would you be interested in extra work for class?"  
"Well, I was thinking that every little bit helps, especially when we're up against you-know-who." Then he added, rather sheepishly. "It might help out with quidditch. Give a little help there."

Hermione laughed. "I knew there was some kind of ulterior motive, but no, I have homework. Plus the research for Dawn."  
"Oh come on 'Mione, think of it as extra credit!"

A sparkle appeared in her eye and Ron knew he had her. Grinning he turned his attention to his sister. "What about you Gin?"  
"Sure, like you said, every little bit helps." But she wasn't really thinking about extra help for class, but more about her plan for getting over Harry.

"Then it's settled. We'll all have extra training sessions." Ron said beaming.

Dawn had been pretty quiet through most of the exchange. She was sensing that her alone time with Harry was quickly coming to an end. Not that she didn't like the others, but she enjoyed her time alone with Harry in the evenings. Granted Buffy and Spike were hovering over them, and recently Neville was there too. But it was her time to have Harry away from his friends.

She admitted that she had a bit of a crush on him, but then again no sane girl wouldn't. He was caring and giving and quite good looking. She felt a bond with him that she never had with anyone else. It could be because of similar experiences in their pasts, but it felt like something more.

Then suddenly she felt Draco's eyes on her again. She really wished he would stop it, it was quite unsettling. She stole a quick glance over to the Slytherin table and felt a tremor in her stomach. _Wow, where did that come from?_ She turned her gaze back to him and stared back. There was something different about him, he had changed somehow. She didn't know what it was, just that it had happened.

She looked back to her food when she couldn't take the tremors anymore. _What was causing that? Maybe it was something I ate._

Dawn felt someone nudge her leg and she looked beside her. Harry gave her a questioning look and she shook her head and smiled. She hoped he wouldn't be able to tell she was lying. Apparently he couldn't cause he gave her a big smile, one that warmed her heart and chased all thoughts of Draco Malfoy from her head.

Across the hall Draco scowled.

********

That evening after the training session with the additional students, Buffy and Spike were called into Dumbledore's office.

They arrived before the headmaster and sat down to wait. Fawkes flew to Spike's shoulder and sat happily as Spike petted him.

"I fear you are stealing my phoenix." Albus said with a chuckle.

"Never, although I'm not sure what his fascination with me is."  
"Maybe he senses how your good outweighs your evil and seeks to soothe your conscience."  
"Maybe." Spike said thoughtfully. "So what's up Albus?"

"I had a rather interesting conversation with Mr. Draco Malfoy earlier today."  
Buffy felt Spike tense next to her, she looked over at him. But he just sat there petting Fawkes.

"What did the little brat have to say?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Evidently his father gave him an ultimatum before he came to school this year. He is to either become a death eater or never come home again."

"Yeah, so?" Spike asked through clenched teeth.

"He does not wish to join Voldemort's following."  
"You're joking!" Buffy exclaimed.

"No Miss Summers, I'm not. However, he is very concerned for his safety."

"I can't believe you're fallin' for this Albus! This has to be some sort of trick. He's a Malfoy, he can't be trusted!" Spike yelled, standing abruptly, startling Fawkes from his perch on his shoulder.

"William! You of all people should know that a person is not necessarily defined by their heritage." Albus said, rising to his feet.

Buffy saw something pass between the old friends and knew that there was something going on that she didn't know about.

"Spike, what is he talking about?"

"You mean she doesn't know?"

"Of course she doesn't Albus. This is not something I go around telling everybody."  
"What don't I know?" Buffy asked.

"But I would have thought you would tell her," Albus said, clearly not hearing her.

"Haven't exactly had an opportunity to."  
"Tell me what?"

"She has a right to know Spike."

"I know," Spike said, a little irritated.

"The right to know what?" Buffy asked standing. She was beginning to get pissed.

"But not at this moment Albus."  
"Excuse me, but do I get a say in this?" They both turned to Buffy, having momentarily forgotten that she was in the room. "I mean, hello, standing right here! Now will one of you please explain?"

Again Albus and Spike exchanged a look and then Spike nodded.

"I promise I will tell you everything later, luv. Right now, we've got more important things to discuss."  
"Spike..."

"Please Buffy. Trust me."  
"Fine, but you better believe I'll hold you to that promise mister." She grumbled as she sat back down.

"Obviously Mr. Malfoy cannot return home or to any of his relatives. So I'm placing him in your care." Albus said quietly.  
"What?!" Buffy cried as she jumped to her feet again.

"Please, Miss Summers. The boy needs protection and that is one of the reasons why I hired you."

"Fine, is he aware of this?" Buffy relented as she sat back down. Just because she didn't like the kid didn't mean she wanted him dead.

"Yes, I've already discussed this with Mr. Malfoy. I am afraid he was a bit more resistant to the arrangement than you were, but he also realized that he had no other choice."

Despite herself, Buffy actually began to feel a little sympathy for the boy. It must be hard to know that your father was probably going to have you killed.

"I understand that you are giving several Gryffindors some extra training." Albus said with a twinkle in his eye.

Buffy's face lit up. "Yup. They asked for some extra help and I couldn't say no."  
"I think it is wonderful, especially the special attention you are giving Mr. Longbottom. I believe most people underestimate that young man."  
"I'll say." Spike said. "He's workin' really hard even though he's havin' some trouble."

"I want Mr. Malfoy to join these training sessions."  
"No!" They said together.

"You can't be serious Albus!" Spike growled.

"I'll spend most of my time breaking up fights between him, Ron and Harry!" Buffy protested.

"Nevertheless, I believe the sessions will help give him focus. The boy is quite lost, he could use the stability from Mr. Potter and his friends."

"I still say this is a bad idea." Buffy grumbled, understanding that Dumbledore had made up his mind and nothing she said could change it.

"So noted. He'll join you starting tomorrow."

"Bloody hell."

******

The next evening Draco was the first to arrive for the training session. Spike could barely contain a snarl as he crossed to the window, turning his back on the boy.

Buffy turned a cold and calculating stare on the Slytherin. "You are aware that we are your guardians now?" The boy nodded. "I want you to understand something. If you are really in trouble then you won't find better help. But if you betray us." She stepped up to the tall youth and looked him squarely in the eye. Despite the fact that he was a head taller than her, Draco felt himself cowering from the power radiating from the slayer. "You will wish for Voldemort to find you. Got it?"

Draco gulped and nodded.

"The only reason you are with us is because Dumbledore wanted you here. If you cause any problems you'll regret it. Any questions? Comments?"

"Just....thank you." Draco said as he dropped his gaze to the floor.

Buffy blinked in surprise, that was not the response she was expecting. She opened her mouth then closed it. She tried again. "You an athlete or something?"

The blond looked up with surprise in his eyes, _how did she know that?_ "Yeah, I'm the Slytherin Seeker."

"Explains it."

"Explains what?"

"I noticed in class yesterday that you have a good sense of balance and control." Before she could continue the Gryffindors entered the room.

"What's the ferret doing here?" Ron asked disgustedly.

"He's going to train with you guys." Buffy said.

"But..."  
"No buts Ron, Dumbledore's orders. Let's get started. Dawn, Draco will join your group. Hermione, Ginny, Neville come over here." Buffy led the three to one side of the room and started them on their balance exercises.

"Spike, we're ready." Dawn called as Spike had not moved from the window. Her turned and crossed to the group.

"Harry, I want you to change your sparring partner to Ron, and Dawn you'll spar with blondie."

"But..."

"No buts bit. Less chance of arguments this way."  
Dawn turned her stricken eyes towards Draco. How was she suppose to concentrate on sparring with him when every time she saw him she got tremors in her stomach?

Draco saw the horrified look in her eyes and silently resigned himself to the fact she would never want him. So he protected himself the only way he knew how. He turned the Malfoy smirk on. "Don't worry mudblood, you'll get to touch Potter later. Or is the thought of touching me getting your panties in a twist?"

A glint of steel flashed in her eyes as she retorted back. "Don't think for one minute that you had any effect whatsoever on my panties."

Draco smiled, Merlin he loved her fire. There was that word again, love. What was wrong with him? He didn't have much time to wonder about it as Spike began the training.


	11. Quidditch and Detention

Chapter Ten

Quidditch and Detention

The next Saturday found the Gryffindors on the quidditch field. Buffy sat nervously in the stands between Spike and Giles.

"Are you sure she'll be all right?"

"Yes luv, she'll hold her own."

"Spike, you've neglected to mention that people have died playing this game."

"People have died!"

"Way to go watcher." Spike muttered underneath his breath.

"She wants to play a game that can kill her?!"

"It's no worse than you patrolling at night, luv."

"Yes, it is. That's my destiny, I have no choice. Quidditch is not a destiny, she has a choice."

"You could choose not to patrol." Spike pointed out.

Buffy just glared at him.

"Relax Buffy." Giles said. "Nobody's died in years and Harry said she's an excellent flier. It only took her a week to stop falling off the broom."

"She fell!"

"Good job, Rupes. Give her another thing to worry about."

"Shut up Spike."

"Oh, here she comes. I'm still not sure if I like this."

Spike put his arm around her and kissed her temple. "You'll understand this better after you watch her play."

They turned their attention to the field where Professor McGonagall was explaining the try-out procedures.

"You will be divided into teams of beaters and you will be given a half-hour of playing time with the rest of the team. After everyone has had a chance to play, Mr. Potter and I will discuss some possibilities and then pair some of you again and have you play once more. We will post the new positions tomorrow morning. Any questions?"

When no questions were asked she called out the first team. "Miss Virginia Weasley and Mr. Dennis Creevey."

Ginny suppressed a groan. She couldn't believe Dennis was her partner. He was almost as clumsy as Neville and had a habit of falling into the lake. She was doomed.

The redhead resigned herself to her fate as she joined the rest of the team in the air.

Since Dawn wasn't in the first team, Buffy was able to relax slightly and watched with mesmerized eyes to game unfolding before her.

"This seems to be a fairly easy game to understand." Xander said from the other side of Giles.

"Yes it is, but there's a lot of strategy involved." Giles informed him.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Of course there is G-man. How hard can it be to get that one ball through the hoop and catch the little gold one?"

"If you would shut your trap whelp, you would see that the watcher is right."

Xander turned his eyes to the game and suddenly understood. The two balls called bludgers flew dizzyingly around the field causing the players to duck and swerve. He couldn't even see the golden snitch. _Maybe there's more to the game than meets the eye,_ he thought.

"The Weasley girl is pretty good." Spike commented as she knocked a bludger into the path of one of the chasers preventing them from scoring.

"Her older brothers were the former beaters for the team. I assume they gave her lessons." Giles informed them.

All too quickly the half hour past and McGonagall stepped out to announce the next pair. "Miss Dawn Summers and Miss Natalie McDonald."

"Oh god! I can't watch." Buffy said, covering her eyes.

"Buffy. Luv. Relax, she'll be fine." Spike said, gently pulling her arms down. In all honesty, he was a bit nervous himself, he just didn't want Buffy to know, it would just make her worse. Dawn had refused any help from him over the summer, she had only wanted Harry to help her.

^^^^^^^^flashback^^^^^^^^^^^

"Spike, I'll be fine. Harry is a terrific flier."

"But I could...."

"When was the last time you were on a broom?"

If it was possible for vampires to blush, Spike would have done so right then. He had never been very good at flying and had avoided it at all costs. "I could at least watch."

"No Spike. I need to do this on my own, without you and Buffy waiting to catch me. Everybody has their own thing that they are good at. I want flying to be mine."

Spike nodded, he understood. So he had kept Buffy away from the field every time Dawn and Harry went out to practice.

^^^^^^^^^flashback over^^^^^^^^^

So Spike sat in the stands nervous and excited all at the same time. Nervous because he wanted Dawn to do well and excited because no matter what happened she had done it all on her own.

"Don't fall Dawn, please don't fall." Buffy chanted as Dawn rose in the air. 

Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them.

Buffy's chanting stopped though as she watched Dawn zip by.

"Wow, she's good." Tara said. "Look at how quickly she made that turn."

Spike's heart leapt into his throat. He had never been more proud of his Bit than at that very moment.

Dawn laughed as she flew through the air. She loved flying, the way the wind blew her hair back, and the rush she got as she made quick dives and sharp turns. She enjoyed it much more now than when she had first started.

^^^^^^^^^flashback^^^^^^^^

Dawn had fought furiously with Buffy and Spike to do this on her own. But now, as she stood next to a broom, she began to have doubts. "Are you sure this is safe, Harry?"

"Of course, here let me show you." Harry quickly mounted his broom and did a lazy circle in the air.

"I don't know." She said skeptically.

"Here, try this." Harry said as he landed. He shifted slightly on the broom. "Sit in front of me."

"What?"

"Trust me. I think if you go up in the air once without worrying about steering or speed you'll see how fun it is and relax."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, but settled on the broom in front of him. She let out a soft squeak as they lifted off, but quickly relaxed. She began to understand what he had been talking about. She turned to tell him so and slipped off the broom. Luckily Harry had caught her before she hit the ground.

It took three days before Harry could talk her into getting on a broom again.

^^^^^^^flashback over^^^^^^^^

Dawn easily got into a rhythm and she and Natalie were able to provide lots of confusion on the field with the bludgers. One of her shots almost knocked Seamus off his broom and prevented him from scoring.

Buffy just sat there with her mouth hanging open in amazement. Dawn had told her that she was pretty good, but not this good.

Spike chuckled and gently closed her mouth. "Told you there was nothing to worry about."

"He's right, Buffy." Willow piped up. "I think she stands a good chance of making the team."

The Sunnydale gang sat for the next hour and a half watching the other hopefuls. Buffy fidgeted in her seat as she watched the current pair. The one boy was pretty good, as good as Dawn even. Her competitive side was showing as she decided then and there that she wanted her sister on the team and not that scrawny little boy.

They sat anxiously waiting after the last team landed. McGonagall talked to Harry then stepped forward and made a quick announcement. "We've narrowed it down to two possible teams. This round you will have fifteen minutes of playing time. After the second team plays you may return to your dormitory. The list will be posted first thing in the morning. Team one is Mr. Russell O'Conner and Mr. Ronald Masterson. Team two is Miss Virginia Weasley and Miss Dawn Summers."

The scooby gang sat on the edge of their seats watching the first team. Buffy chewed on her nails as she watched the boy from the last pair. If he beat her sister out of one the spots she was going to hurt the boy, badly. _No, wait. Dawn wouldn't like that._ Buffy spared a glance at Spike. _I'll let Spike kick his ass._

It was Dawn's turn and she heard cheers from the stands. She smiled and waved at them, then turned an evil grin to Ginny. "Let's show them what a pair of girls can do."

Ginny returned the grin and they quickly took to the air. What happened next left all watching in awe. The two girls moved in perfect sync, one setting up a play and the other completing it, without saying a word.

"This is bloody amazing!" Spike exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I've never seen a pair of beaters move this way. If I didn't know better I'd say they had a telepathic connection."

Willow closed her eyes and concentrated. "Nope. They're just moving on instinct."

And as quickly as their turn began, it was over and the headed back to the castle.

Buffy ran to catch up with Dawn and caught her in a big bear hug. "Dawnie you were absolutely amazing. I had no idea you could fly like that."

Dawn blushed with Buffy's praise. "Thanks. I just hope I was good enough to make the team."

"I wouldn't worry about it Bit. You were the best one out there."

**********

The next morning Dawn awoke to the sight of Ginny hovering over her with a huge smile on her face.

"We did it?"

Ginny could just nod.

With a squeal Dawn jumped out of bed and hugged Ginny. They danced about the room and down the stairs into the common room.

Harry looked up when he heard the noise and smiled as he saw the two most beautiful women he knew dancing around the room with joy. "I guess you guys heard?" He called out, interrupting them.

The two girls looked at each other then tackled him at the same time. Harry let out a surprised yelp and then laughter as the girls profusely thanked him by tickling him.

*******

The next month passed quickly as they settled into their new routines. Buffy and Spike continued their patrols but bound nothing to confirm the sense of dread they were feeling. The rest of the scooby gang had classes to teach and papers to grade. Hermione continued her research on the key with no luck.

Quidditch practice and classes began to eat away at most of their free time. So much so, that the students began to look forward to their evening training sessions to release steam.

However, the peace couldn't last forever.

Dawn just happened to be paired with Neville in potions class the day the calm ended. They were working on a complicated healing potion when Neville accidentally knocked the cauldron over.

"Mr. Longbottom, could you be more clumsy?!" Snape yelled.

Neville's eyes widened in fear, he knew what was coming.

"Thirty points from Gryffindor for your lack of co-ordination."  
"Do you have to be so mean?" Dawn demanded, stepping up to Snape.

"Ten points for talking back!"

"He feels bad enough; you don't need to make him feel worse!"  
"Another ten points!"

"You know, the students would probably respect you more if you weren't such an ass!"

"Forty points and detention!" Snape roared. "Should we continue Miss Summers?"

Before she could retort back she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see Harry's green eyes pleading with her to stop. With a growl worthy of any vampire she returned to her area and helped Neville clean up his mess.

*********

Draco hated to admit it, but his new guardians were good teachers. Thanks to the slayer his quidditch game had actually improved. _To think, a muggle technique could help a pureblood like himself._ Not like he would actually confess that if anyone asked.

Spike actually scared him though. While the slayer was at least friendly towards him, the vampire shot cold looks at him and said little.

But did he ever know his stuff. Draco had learned more in the past month than the past five years. It was in Spike's class that it happened though.

He was sitting there taking notes on fyarl demons when he heard a grunt next to him. Apparently Goyle had found something funny. Draco gave the boy a questioning look and Goyle responded by placing a piece of parchment in front of him.

Draco's eyes widened in amazement as he read what was written on it.

"Is there a problem Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco's head shot up and all he could manage to do was shake his head.

Spike raised an eyebrow and crossed the room until he stood in front of the boy. "Then why the deer in a headlight look?"

Draco's look turned to one of confusion.

"Scared, you look scared." Spike said impatiently.

The blond student couldn't utter a reply and nervously flicked his gaze to the parchment in front of him Spike noticed the look and picked up the paper.

Draco swallowed nervously as Spike read it over. He saw rage build on Spike's face as he finished and turned back to Draco.

Spike leaned over until he was nose to nose with his charge and spoke quietly through clenched teeth. "This is one of the most insulting pieces of garbage I have ever read. Fifty points from Slytherin and you have detention."

Turning around he went back to the front of class to continue the lesson. Poor Draco was left sitting there wondering what exactly he had done wrong.


	12. Patrolling

Chapter Eleven

Patrolling

Buffy strode into the training room yelling, "Dawnie what the hell were you thinking talking to Snape like that?"

"You do it all the time."

"Not the issue here."

Dawn sighed and tried to explain. "He was picking on Neville so I yelled back."

"Yeah, I get that, but did you have to call him an ass?" Dawn at least had the decency to look ashamed. "You're lucky I was able to talk Dumbledore into letting you serve detention with me."

Buffy heard a snicker from behind her. She swiftly turned her attention to its owner. "And you, blondie! I don't know what was written on that paper, but Spike is pissed. You're lucky he hasn't killed you yet. You will also be serving your detention with me."

"But I didn't...."

"I don't want to hear it, Draco. I'm very disappointed in both of you. Spike isn't going to help out tonight because of this. So we're going to do things a little different tonight. I'll explain when the rest get here.

They sat in uncomfortable silence until the Gryffindors arrived in a noisy group. They quieted quickly though upon noticing the tension in the room.

"Where's Spike?"

"He's not coming tonight, Harry." Dawn said quietly.

He gave her a questioning look but she shook her head indicating that now was not the time to discuss it.

"We do things differently tonight. Everyone is going to spar, but just one pair at a time. I want the rest of you to watch and learn. Hermione and Neville, I want you to go first."

"But Buffy..."  
"Relax Neville." Buffy said with a gentle smile. "Nobody here is expecting you to be perfect, just do your best." Buffy had paired him with Hermione on purpose. Out of the group they were the ones with the least amount of experience and having the most problems. Hopefully, together, they would not feel as much pressure.

A half an hour later Buffy awarded them with a big smile, they had done better than she had hoped. "You guys have made a lot of progress, I'm proud." Neville's face shone with the praise. "Next I want Ginny and Harry."

"But Ron is normally my partner."

"I know, but I want you to spar with someone else tonight. Plus, I'd like to see Ginny spar with someone who's had more training so I can see where her skills lie."

The two stood facing each other and Harry swallowed nervously. He knew the beautiful redhead before him, like Dawn, was stronger than she looked. He had witnessed her fighting with her older brothers and lately she had been winning. Harry just knew he was going to have bruises after this.

Before he knew it Ginny landed a kick in his stomach doubling him over. She quickly latched her ankle behind his and pulled, knocking him to the ground.

"Only Potter could get his ass kicked by a girl."

"Really? Then what do you call all that time you've spent on the mat? Resting?" Dawn asked smugly.

"Quiet you two. Harry get up. Very good Ginny."

And so it continued for the next half-hour. By the time Buffy told them to quit Harry's entire body ached, while Ginny possessed a huge smile.

Draco was quiet during the next pairing because he began to have a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. His normal partner, Dawn, was sparring with Ron which only left one other possible partner in the room. Buffy.

His worries of sparring with the slayer soon left his mind as he watched his angel. Even in her casual clothes and her hair in a ponytail she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. She moved with ease and grace. Poor Ron moved like Neville compared to her.

On her face, her mouth broke into a wide smile. Oh how he longed to kiss those very lips. He wanted to hold her in his arms and give her the love he always wished he had received.

"All right, one more sparring session. Draco against me, and don't worry. I won't hurt ya, too much."

Draco tried to hide his nervousness and crossed to the slayer. He knew she was still upset about his receiving detention and hoped she'd go easy on him.

Buffy had kept her mouth shut about the real reason for the change in pairings that evening. She needed to be able to see what kind of progress the kids had been making. The feeling that something was coming hadn't left her and she wanted them to be as prepared as possible.

She wanted to spar with Draco for several reasons. The first being that since she was now responsible for him she had noticed a protective feeling developing for him and wanted to assure herself that he could take care of himself. The other being that she had watched him spar with Dawn and had a feeling that he was holding something back.

"Draco remember, you can't hurt me so I don't want you to hold anything back, got it." Buffy instructed him. He just nodded his head.

He took a couple of swings which Buffy easily deflected. "Come on Draco; show me what you've got." His face got more determined and he started a new assault.

As they exchanged blows, Buffy began to smile. The boy seemed to be a natural. While he lacked her slayer speed and strength he was able to hold his own. Yet something about the set of his shoulders told her that there was more.

"Please, you call yourself a Malfoy? I've seen five-year-olds that could fight better." Buffy retorted and she suddenly saw what she was looking for.

Draco's entire demeanor shifted and he attacked her with a fury. He began to push her back and she stopped holding back so much. She understood now why Dumbledore had placed this boy in her care. The young Malfoy needed an outlet for all his pain and anger caused by his father, and this was the place to do it.

Buffy saw him begin to tire and called a stop to their session. She excused everyone but Draco. When the others had left, she pulled Draco into a hug.

"Hear this now. Every time you spar, no matter who your partner is, I want you to do it just like that." She pulled away and looked directly into his gray eyes. "I'm here to help you so if you ever need to talk, please don't hesitate. I know things weren't the greatest in your past, but you're future will have nothing but love."  
"But Spike..."  
"He's only pissed cause he expected better from you. Believe me, you're growing on him. And I am very proud of you standing up for what you believe, even though it's going against your family."

Draco could only look at her in wonder. She was offering him the love he had never received from his parents. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she would be there for him and support whatever he did. For the first time in his life he felt safe and loved.

With tears in his eyes he pulled her into another hug and buried his head in her shoulder. He didn't know how long they stood there like that when he heard a noise in the doorway. He looked up and saw Dawn. He quickly turned away and wiped the tears from his face.

"What did you need Dawn?"

"Spike's lookin' for you."  
"Tell him I'll be right there." Buffy turned back to Draco after Dawn had left. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks for, well, for everything."

"Not a problem."

Suddenly embarrassed by his display of weakness he ducked his head. "I need to go study."  
Buffy nodded and watched him leave.

********

"What's up?" Buffy asked lightly as she entered the room she shared with Spike.

"I've found a vamp nest."  
Buffy suddenly turned very serious. "You're joking right? Cause we've been here three months and haven't seen any, none, zip, nada."

"I'm afraid not."

"You know how many?"

"Not sure yet. Thought we'd get a closer look tonight."  
"This is so not of the good. We've got to get it cleared out before they start attacking the students."

Spike dropped his gaze and casually asked, "how was training?"

"Ginny is pretty good, I think I'll shift her to your sparring group. She already has good balance and control so she doesn't need more lessons on that. Plus, she totally kicked Harry's ass this evening."

Spike chuckled. "And the rest?"

"I think I finally made some headway with Draco." Spike's face darkened but he remained silent. "I don't think his childhood was all hugs and puppies. I sparred with him and finally got him to release his anger."  
Spike raised an eyebrow at that. "Really?"

"Really really. I saw evidence of real emotions tonight, not harsh mask he wears. I think there's hope for him."

Spike just grunted and opened the door.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt you to be nice to him. I think he needs it if he's ever going to make it."

"Fine." Spike ground out.

"You're wonderful." Buffy said brightly as she kissed him lightly on the lips, then she headed out the door. When she realized he hadn't moved she turned around and called out. "We gonna check out the nest or what."

With a sigh he followed her down the hall.

*******

Two nights later found Buffy and Spike heading to the nest, again. Only this time they were joined by two others.

"Luv, I'm still not sure this is such a good idea."  
"Aren't you usually the one telling me to relax? Come on, there's only fifteen of them. Those two are only here to catch the ones who try to run." Buffy gave a little laugh. "You know Dawn can take care of herself."

"Yeah, but what about blondie?"  
"He'll hold his own." Buffy said smugly, repeating the words he had told her about Dawn and quidditch.

"But he's never actually fought a demon before."  
"He will eventually, especially since we're his guardians now. I'd rather be there with him the first couple of times than to have him do it on his own."

"I get that, luv. It's just..."

With mock surprise Buffy asked, "is that concern I hear in your voice?"

Spike glared at her and replied, "I just don't want him to get hurt."

"Now you sound like me worrying over Dawn." Buffy said with a smirk.

"That was completely different, you wouldn't let her do anything. If it hadn't been for Red loosin' control of her mojo she'd probably still be in Sunnydale locked in that house."

"And why isn't she?" Buffy knew she had him.

"Because you can't protect her forever. She has to go out and do things on her own." Suddenly Spike stopped and looked at her.

Buffy just grinned and kept moving.

Several yards behind them Dawn and Draco walked in silence. Both were too lost in their own thoughts to hear the conversation ahead of them.

Dawn kept casting furtive glances in Draco's direction. She had been surprised by what she had seen on his face when she had interrupted him and Buffy. So many emotions were evident, and not just in his eyes. His entire being screamed out his sadness but had undercurrents of hope.

But what had affected her the most were the tear tracks that had lined his cheeks. It had taken all her willpower to restrain herself from kissing away those tears and to try and put a smile on his face. _A smile? I don't think I've ever seen him truly smile._ The thought made her heart break for him even more, but she knew better than to show the handsome Slytherin any pity.

__

Handsome? What the hell? True, he was good looking, but not anymore that Harry. _Oh, you're getting off-track silly, remember we're thinking about how to help him!_ But how could she help him without making it obvious, or look like she pitied him?

Dawn was brought out of her contemplations by a soft voice beside her. "Where's your wand?"

"Back in my room, why?"

Draco looked at her in amazement. "You're going to fight vampires without magic?"

Dawn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes Draco, I did it all the time back at Sunnyhell. Besides I've got four stakes on me, what more do I need?"

He looked over her in wonder. She had on a dark blue baby tee and jeans that had practically been painted on. "Four stakes? Where are you hiding them?"

She just winked at him.

Draco felt his face getting hot and decided to change the subject. "So what's with the duster Spike's wearing? I've never seen it before."

"He got it off a slayer he killed in the seventies."

Draco stopped in his tracks. "He killed a slayer?"

Dawn turned and replied simply, "no. He's killed two. Come on, I think we're almost there."

He couldn't believe it. Spike had killed two slayers and this one let him live? Not only did she let him live, but shared her life with him. He felt hope grow in his chest. Maybe he had a chance with Dawn after all. He smiled to himself as he quickly caught up with the rest of the group crouching behind some bushes.

"You guys see that shack ahead?" Buffy whispered, pointing to a dilapidated building a hundred yards in front of them.

"That's the nest?" Draco asked.

"Yes, now remember the plan. Spike and I will go in and clean out the nest. You guys wait outside and get whoever tries to run away."

"Yes Buffy, we know. You've only explained this a half a dozen times already. Let's just get on with it." Dawn said impatiently.

"That's my girl." Spike said with a small amount of pride in his voice. "Now let's go kick some demon ass."

The four stood and crossed to the rundown building. When they were only a few feet away Buffy turned to Dawn and Draco, "see you on the other side. Ready Spike?"

Bringing his demon to the front he grinned, "always slayer." And the two charged in.

Dawn sighed. "We probably won't get to kill anything."

Draco hated to admit it, but fear was beginning to claw at his chest, making it hard to breathe. What if Buffy had been wrong to believe he could do this? What if he died? Before he could think of any other horrible thoughts a figure emerged from the structure in front of them.

"Oh goodie!" Dawn squealed. A stake suddenly materialized in her hand and she quickly attacked. Unfortunately for the vampire it was no match for Dawn and quickly turned to dust.

Dawn pouted. "That was too easy."

He couldn't believe his ears. "You want it to be difficult? Difficult could kill you!" Before Draco could continue Dawn held up a hand to silence him.

"What's wrong?" He whispered.

"I don't think we're alone."

Suddenly twenty demons of various types emerged from the trees around them.

"Looks like things just got difficult." Draco murmured, then he shot a glare at Dawn. "I hope you're happy."  
"Shut up Draco and fight." She quickly yelled, "Buffy, we need some help out here!" Then she threw herself at the demons.

Upon seeing his angel fight for her life, Draco knew he had no choice but to help her. He saw one try to sneak up behind Dawn. He didn't know what hexes would work on the demon, so he did what Buffy had taught him to do. He released his anger.

With a strength that startled even himself he grabbed the demon by the shoulder and pulled him away from Dawn. With the ugly things attention now on him he landed two punches in what he assumed was its face and a firm kick into its stomach.

Unfortunately Draco never saw the demon that approached him from behind. The next thing he knew he was flying through the air. He only stopped when he hit a tree and slid dazedly to the ground.

Dawn saw what happened and screamed. "Draco!" She saw his limp body laying there while three demons crossing to him and something inside her snapped.

Draco looked up in time to see a green fire erupt around Dawn. Before he could register the approaching demons he heard her call out.

'Yellonyë Fëanáronna na ustë raukar anten. I minë ya haryë oore vá harna.'

The demons surrounding them suddenly burst into flame and quickly turned to dust.

'I neldë hecero. I mahtar, I istar, ar i fólë. Ventë tulto i fólë ta euva atalantelya.'

Then Draco's world turned black.


	13. Dreams

Chapter Twelve

Dreams

Draco opened his eyes to find himself standing in the middle of a desert. He turned slowly around and saw nothing but miles and miles of sand and scrub.

"What the hell?"

A woman in a long white flowing dress materialized in the distance. She disappeared then reappeared closer. This repeated several times until she stood several feet in front of him. A light breeze blew causing the edges of her dress to wrap around her legs and tendrils of her light brown hair to flutter in the air.

Although he had never seen this woman before there was an air of familiarity about her. Her blue eyes twinkled and there was a soft smile on her lips. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"You're asking the wrong questions." Came the soft reply.

"What do you mean the wrong questions? I think I have the right to know where I am and who I'm talking to!"

"In your heart you know where you are and who I am."

"Is everything a riddle for you?"

The lady just smiled and waited, seemingly for the correct question.

Draco took a moment to compose himself, getting angry was not going to help. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Abruptly his eyes flew open.

"This is a dream isn't it?"

"Partially. But it is also slightly real."

"Great, more riddles," he muttered to himself. "Are you here to teach me something?"

"No. I'm merely a guide." She stretched out a hand. "Shall we?"

He eyed the hand suspiciously and tentatively grasped it. The world around him blurred then settled. He looked to find himself home.

"Why'd you bring me here?" He asked, disgusted with the new location.

The woman said nothing and just pointed to his father and mother. Draco couldn't hear what they were saying but the air around them reeked of dark magic. He felt anger coursing through his veins.

"It hurts to know that they don't care about you." Came a soft voice from beside him. He had forgotten she was there and was slightly startled.

"What would you know about it?" He asked harshly, glaring at her.

A sad smile graced her face. "More than you would know."

"Huh?"

"You're ancestor will explain."

"My ancestor? What ancestor?"

Before the woman in white could answer, the world spun again. When the world settled he recognized the feel of Hogwarts although not the room itself. He looked around and saw Buffy and Spike snuggling on a couch in front of a small fire.

"They do care." The woman said.

"Yeah right. If you say so. She might, but I know he doesn't."

"How little you know those around you."

"What's that suppose to mean."  
"No longer do you have to hide your heart."

He opened his mouth to speak but the world spun again. He was really beginning to hate that. When it stopped he was back in the desert and the woman was gone.

A bald man in a suit materialized in front of him. With a smile the man said, "The cheese will love one day." Then he disappeared.

"Bloody hell! What the hell! Not only did she leave me alone; I'm more confused than I was before! The cheese will love? I just want a simple explanation!"

"If we told you everything you'd never grow." Said a strangely accented voice behind him.

Draco whirled around to see the strangest looking man he had ever seen. The man was shorter than he was and had the ugliest suit on that he had ever set eyes on.

"Who are you? Or am I asking the wrong questions again?"

"The name's Whistler."

Draco's face had a look of shock; a question had actually been answered. "So where am I?" He asked hopefully.

"Ahh, she told you that one."

A rather rude noise escaped Draco's lips. "So are you a guide, too?"

"In a way, but I can only show you the door, you have to walk through it."

"Door? What door?" Draco looked around; he was beginning to believe that anything was possible wherever he was.

Whistler sighed, why did he always get the hard ones? First Angel, then Buffy, and now this one. "Listen kid..."  
"Kid? You don't look that much older than me."  
"Trust me, I'm way older."  
"You're a demon then?"

"Yeah, I work for the PTB."  
"Like Spike?"

"Yeah, sort of." Whistler said with a chuckle. "Like him you could go either way."

"What do you mean?"

"You could be a worthless excuse for a human being, or you could become someone. Someone to be counted."  
Draco didn't say anything. _I could be someone to be counted? _This guy has to be joking.

"I ain't joking kid. The big moment is gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are."  
"What's coming?"

"Just remember what she told you and that the Dawn will bring about a new day."

Draco's eyes opened and realized he was in the infirmary. He blinked a couple of times and slowly turned his head.

"Ow."

Madam Pomfrey quickly appeared at his side. "Mr. Malfoy I suggest that you take it easy. While I took care of your injuries some stiffness and pain could still remain."  
"What happened?"

"You were thrown into a tree during the fight and you were knocked unconscious."

He sat up quickly and ignored the way the room swam. "Dawn! Is she ok?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, she's just fine. She exhausted herself and is lying in the bed next to yours."

Draco looked over, and sure enough, his angel lay there sleeping. He looked at Madam Pomfrey and she smiled and walked away.

The blond slowly turned and placed his feet on the floor. He must have hit the tree pretty hard because his entire body screamed with protest. He shakily stood and crossed to the chair next to Dawn's bed.

Despite what Pomfrey had said, Draco was a little worried. His angel looked pale against the white sheets, her normally luminous face seemed rather lackluster. Dawn looked fragile and delicate there despite the fire and strength he knew she possessed.

He felt guilt well up inside him because he blamed himself for her current incapacitation

If he had taken better care of himself she would never had done whatever it was that she had done. He gently took her hand and did something he hadn't done since he was a small child. He bowed his head and prayed.

********

Dawn slowly opened her eyes to find herself sitting in the middle of a sunlit field of flowers. A figure began to walk towards her, blocking out the sun. She squinted and as the person approached she realized that it was a man. 

When he reached her he sat in front of her with a smile, and said, "Hello princess."

"Umm, hello. I have a feeling I'm dreaming."

"Yer correct on that one." The man said with a chuckle. He had a definite Irish accent and a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"So um, who are you?"

"I'm a friend of a friend." The man's eyes lost their lighthearted shine and turned sad. Dawn couldn't resist the urge to hug him. "What was that for?"

"You looked like you needed one."  
"Aren't ye a sweet one. My name's Doyle."

"I remember you; you used to work with Angel and Cordelia. Well, I sort of remember, seeing as how I didn't really exist at the time, the memory is just a fake. And why am I saying this to you, of course you worked for the PTB's so I guess it's okay, and aren't you suppose to be dead?"

"But I am dead princess."

"I'm not dead right? Cause I thought this was a dream."

"No, yer not dead, just me. They needed t' get some information t' ye and I volunteered"  
"Info? It's about damn time. Inform me."  
Doyle laughed. "A straight t' the point kind of lass aren't ye. Now ye know the rules, I can't tell ye everythin', I can only set ye on the path."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."  
A bald man in a suit walked between them saying, "While you are here, the cheese is not."

Dawn looked at Doyle in confusion. He just shook his head and said, "Ye wouldna understand even if I told ye."

"If you say so."  
"Somethin's comin' princess and ye need t' be ready."  
"Me? Isn't that stuff Buffy's job?"

"Usually, but yer the center of it this time. Yer sister will be there t' help and one other. But yer the one who has t' do it."  
"Do what?"

"I can't ell ye that, 'tis another's job. Just keep yer friends close and open yer heart."

"What do you mean, open my heart."

"Someone yearns for yer love, and ye need t' share it in order t' win."

"Who?"  
"Can't tell ye that."

"Of course, that's someone else's job, I get it."

"No, you'll figure that one out on yer own. Just make sure ye let them in."  
Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Ye think ye know what ye are?"

"Yeah, I'm the key."  
"Ye haven't even begun."

Dawn slowly became aware that she was awake but kept her eyes closed. She felt someone holding her hand. _Where am I? _Then the battle came back in sudden clarity. _What the hell happened? _She remembered Draco's limp form below a tree.

Draco!

Her eyes flew open and she saw that the one holding her hand was the blond Slytherin and he had his head bowed. _Why was he doing that? _She shifted slightly and his head popped up. 

Seeing her awake a look of relief crossed his face with a small smile.

__

A smile? He's smiling at me! He never smiles.

"Thank Merlin you're awake. I'll tell Madam Pomfrey." He got up and left the room.

Confusion swam in Dawn's eyes. Why would he care if I woke up? I'm a mudblood. True he's changed a little bit lately, but surely not enough to care about me.

Before Dawn could continue Pomfrey approached with Draco behind her. "How are you feeling dear?"

"A bit tired."  
"Well that's to be expected. You did use up a good deal of energy in the fight. I'll go get your sister and let her know that you're awake."

Dawn looked at Draco. "What is she talking about?'

He looked at her hesitantly. "You don't remember?"

"I remember the demons coming out of the trees and we started fighting. I saw you slumped at the bottom of a tree then nothing." Dawn didn't want to tell him about her strange dream; she'd ask Buffy about it later.

Draco's eyes widened when he realized she had no idea what happened. "I can't tell you too much more. You had a green fire around you and you spoke some language that I had never heard before then the demons caught fire and disintegrated."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I blacked out..." Before he could mention his dream a commotion came from one end of the infirmary. They looked up to see the entire scooby gang and the gang from Hogwarts rush excitedly in.

"Please keep the noise down. And you can't stay long; they both need their rest." They heard Pomfrey say.

Draco moved back to his own bed as he watched them gather around Dawn. He took a sudden interest in his hands as he wished he had someone who would fuss over him.

He suddenly felt warm strong arms embrace him and he recognized Buffy's voice in his ear. "We were so worried about both of you. It's my fault, I never should have taken you guys out there."  
Draco couldn't believe his ears. She was worried? About him? He quickly returned the hug relishing in the comforting embrace. "It's ok. You didn't know about the other demons."  
"But I shouldn't have placed you two in danger like that."  
"Buffy, really, it's ok." She just hugged him harder. "Umm, I need to breathe."

She released him and sat next to him. "Sorry, I forget my own strength sometimes."

As the noise died down, everyone found a place to sit so they could discuss what had happened. Much to Draco's disgust Harry sat next to Dawn holding her.

Buffy started the discussion. "Spike and I heard Dawn shout, but there were a few more vamps in the shack than what we had originally thought. That's why it took us so long to get to you two. But when we finally got out we saw Dawn in a magic fire speaking in some wacko language and the demons turn to dust. She passed out and we brought you two back here."

Draco and Dawn then sketched out what little they remembered.

"The fire was green?" Tara asked with a thoughtful look.

"Yeah, why?" Draco asked curiously.

"The key used to be a ball of green energy." Tara pointed out to the others.

Draco was confused. "The key? What key?"


	14. She Did What?

Chapter Thirteen

She Did What?

Tara's face turned red as she realized the implications of her simple statement. While the scooby gang and the Gryffindor students knew of Dawn's status as the key, Draco had no idea. She knew they had refrained from telling him in the beginning because of who his father was and his previous behavior. She hoped Buffy wouldn't get too mad at her.

The rest sat there in shocked silence looking fervently at each other. Then as one, the scooby gang began some hastily created explanations, with the exception of Dawn.

She was studying Draco. She could tell he wasn't believing a word that was being said and began retreating back into himself. The cold indifferent look began to reappear on his face.

His actions that day were confusing to her. When she had awoken she found him by her bed holding her hand. Then he had smiled at her. A genuine smile! Not his trademark smirk. He seemed concerned for her well being, but had disappeared when her friends had arrived.

The next time Dawn had seen him, he had a slight frown on his face. What could possibly change his attitude from one minute to the next?

She felt the arm across her shoulder squeeze her tightly and heard Harry's voice in her ear, "Don't worry, he'll never find out."

Dawn had a sudden flash of insight. She knew that Draco hated Harry, but why would he care if he sat next to her? Unless...

__

Someone yearns for yer love....

Was it Draco? She looked closely at him and felt something stir inside. Somehow she knew that he was the one Doyle was talking about, he said she would figure it out on her own.

__

Open yer heart....

Just as instinct told her he was the one who loved her, it was telling her to trust him. With everything.

"It's me. I'm the key." Dawn said clearly, causing everyone to turn to her in shock.

"But.."

"It's ok Spike, he's suppose to know." Dawn said, cutting him off.

"How do you know that?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy, you know how you tell me to trust my instincts?" The slayer quietly nodded. "It's telling me to trust him with this. That he's going to be needed."

A harsh voice spoke next to her. "Like Malfoy could be needed for anything."

Dawn turned to glare at him. "Everyone is needed Harry. I can't believe you would say something so cruel about someone."

"Dawn, I've told you what he's done! He's said worse about Hermione! How can you trust him?"

"First off, _Mr. Potter_, someone's past actions doesn't necessarily indicate their future ones. Look at Spike. He's killed two slayers only to fall in love with a third. Do you want to stake him because of his past? Even though he's good now?"

"No, but..."  
"As for why I trust him? He prevented a demon from attacking me from behind. That's all I need to know. Now I suggest you find somewhere else to sit."

Harry just looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He couldn't understand why she was so angry; it was Malfoy for heaven's sake. He slowly stood and crossed over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting on another bed.

Draco took the moment of silence to ask, "what do you mean that you are the key?"

Dawn turned to look at him and smiled softly. "The key was a mystical ball of energy that was found by some monks about a thousand years ago. Nobody seems to know where it came from or how old it really is. A couple of years ago a hellgod named Glory began her search for it, cause it could open a portal to her dimension."  
She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. She wasn't sure she could stand everyone's look of disbelief as she told Draco the truth.

"So in order to protect the key from Glory they sent it to the slayer, only they changed it to hide it better."  
"And they turned it into you." Draco finished softly.

"Yeah."  
"So if the key was a green ball of energy and the magical fire around you last night was green, then it's probably safe to assume that you were tapping into the key's properties." Draco said.

"Oh my god!" Buffy exclaimed. "When she bought her wand green fire was around her."  
"Damn," Spike said. "I should have noticed it then."

"Take it easy Spike." Willow said comfortingly. "We were all there and none of us put two and two together."  
Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to chase the visitors out of the infirmary claiming her patients needed rest. After the others had left, Dawn and Draco sat in their respective beds in silence.

Draco's head swirled with thoughts. First his angel defended him to Potter, then she had all but told scarhead to get away from her. Then she had entrusted him with her secret.

Him! A Slytherin! A Malfoy! His angel deemed him trustworthy. Maybe Whistler was right, maybe he could be someone to be counted.

He looked over at her. The strength and fire she had shown towards Potter earlier was gone and left behind a pale, fragile looking girl.

"So what happened?"

She looked up quickly. "Huh?"

"With Glory. Is she still looking for you?"

Dawn's face had a bitter smile and she let out a small laugh devoid of humor. "No. She eventually found out that I was the key and the only way to access the key's power was through my blood. She captured me, took me to the top of this tower, and tied me there. She went to fight Buffy who had shown up to rescue me and Buffy killed her."

Dawn's volume kept dropping and Draco had to strain to hear her. "But this other demon cut me and the portal opened. The only way to close the portal was for me to die. Buffy reached me and untied me, but it was too late. The genetic material the monks used to make me came from Buffy, so she jumped and died. The portal closing with her."

Draco just sat there in stunned silence. His brain was overloading trying to process everything she had told him. The slayer had killed a god! He made a mental note to never piss her off. Then she had died.

__

Wait!

"She died?"

"Yeah, had a funeral and everything. Five months later Willow raised her from the dead."

"Wow," was all he could say. Apparently there was more to wicca than he had thought. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what?"

"Why are you telling me all this? I haven't really given you any reason to."

She smiled lightly and said, "Let's just say I have a feeling I can trust you. I'm taking a chance."

A small smile tugged the corners of his mouth at this. That one statement made his heart soar.

Dawn's smile got bigger as she realized she was getting a second smile from him in the same day.

*******

Harry was pacing furiously in an empty classroom that he had ducked into with his friends. "I can't believe she told him!"  
"I don't get it either." Ron said, still in shock from the conversation that had just occurred. 

"She defended the bloody ferret!"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Ginny asked.

"He probably just saved her life to be able to get more information, I just know it." Harry continued, not hearing Ginny's question.

"Harry, calm down." Hermione chided.

"Calm down?!" Harry practically exploded. "How do you expect me to calm down? She all but placed herself into Voldemort's hands!"

"He didn't know."  
Harry whirled to face Ron, "what?"

"Draco didn't know she was the key."  
"So? We all know that, we were there when he found out remember?" Ginny said with a small amount of sarcasm in her voice.

"Then why was he staring at her?" Ron asked her. "First we thought he knew she was the key, but apparently not. So why?"

Harry's thoughts raced through his mind. There was only one other reason Malfoy would stare at Dawn. "He likes her." Harry said softly, sitting down on the floor with a small thump.

He had a sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach that maybe Dawn liked Malfoy back, if her actions earlier were any indication.

******

Buffy and Spike sat in Dumbledore's office waiting for him to arrive. Fawkes, as usual, flew directly to Spike's shoulder the moment he had entered the room.

"I don't like this Spike."  
"Like what, luv?"

"It can't be coincidence that Dawn can suddenly access the power of the key. I mean I know she didn't open a portal or anything, but whatever is going on is tied in with the key, I just know it."

"You're probably right. When you guys researched the key during that thing with Glory, did it mention anything like this?"

"Spike we didn't even know what the key did until those knights told us."

"So there's no information out there? I find that hard to believe."

"All I know Spike is that we found nothing about the key and very little about Glory. Did you guys do any research after I died?"

"No." Spike said rather sheepishly. "We had other things to deal with and we thought that the call for the key was over, that she was safe."

"So did I. Guess we were all wrong."

"What about the knights or even the monks? Surely they had something about it since their orders centered around the key."  
"I doubt the knights had any; they only wanted to destroy it. We'll never know about the monks cause they're all dead and we don't know where their monastery was."

"Ah, but there is someone who knows where it is," said a voice behind them.

"Albus, you know?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head. "I thought you knew where it was, otherwise I would have said something earlier."

"Where is it?" Buffy asked. "We need to see what information they had on the key."

"I am afraid that Glory had destroyed the monastery. I had gone to look myself and there is nothing there but a pile of rubble. Why the sudden interest in information?"

"Apparently during the attack in the forest, the 'Bit accessed the power of the key. We just figured it out when we asked Draco and Dawn what happened."

"Interesting."

"What is?" Buffy asked.

"The monks came to me shortly before they had performed the spell to have me check over everything. I had mentioned the possibility of this occurring."

"What possibility?"

"That when transformed into a human, they could use the key for more than its original purpose. Young Miss Summers seems to be able to do accomplish this."

"But Albus, she didn't do this on purpose. She said that it just happened, that she had no control over it."  
Buffy's nerves were already frayed from worrying over Dawn and Draco all night, but this new information broke her last one and she exploded. "So what do we do about this? Is this going to put her in danger?"

Dumbledore raised a hand to quiet the slayer and spoke in a calm voice. "I suggest we look in the library to see what is written there. Then teach her how to access and control these new powers."

"I'm afraid the kids have already researched in there, mate. They haven't found anything."

"I doubt they have looked in the restricted section. I'll inform Madam Pince to allow them access. I'm sure that they will find something there."


	15. You're Who?

Chapter Fourteen

You're Who?

Madam Pomfrey held Draco and Dawn in the infirmary until Sunday night. During that time they spent most of their time resting and did little talking. Neither Harry nor the other Gryffindors came to visit, only the scoobies.

Dawn was alone in the classroom where muggle defense was held stretching the next morning. She heard someone enter behind her and turned to see who it was.

"Hey."

"Harry," Dawn said curtly, before resuming her stretching.

"I don't understand why you're mad at me." Harry said softly.

"Oh gee, I don't know Harry. Maybe it's because you doubt my instincts. Or maybe because you insulted Draco..."

"Why do you defend him?"

"Cause I believe he's trying to change and you won't let him. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt."

"But it's Malfoy!"

"His name is Draco," Dawn said evenly. "You know I was the first to accept Spike? I trusted my instincts then, and I trust them now."  
"But..."

"No buts Harry. If you truly are my friend, you'll accept it and drop the subject."

"Fine. Still doesn't mean I understand." Harry said sullenly.

Dawn smirked and said, "I'm a woman, you're not suppose to understand."

The rest of the class began to filter in and soon Buffy and Spike arrived, and class began.

******

The next morning Spike was standing outside of his classroom for DADA as the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins were entering his class. Dawn and Harry had just arrived as Peeves came floating down the hall. Unfortunately Spike didn't see him until it was too late.

"It's ickle William!" Peeves cried in delight.

Spike's eyes widened in horror. He had been able to avoid the poltergeist until that moment. "Not now Peeves."

"Ickle William has come back to Hogwarts!"

Spike's eyes flashed yellow as he tried to keep his anger and fear in check.

"So mama let her little boy grow up after all?"

"Shut up Peeves!"

Dawn and Harry exchanged curious glances. In the past several months at Hogwarts neither had seen Spike look so agitated.

"What's the matter ickle William? Still not living up to the Malfoy name like your brothers did?"

Harry's jaw dropped in astonishment. _Spike was a Malfoy?_ Why didn't he ever tell them?

Spike vamped out. "Move along Peeves, you've done enough damage already."

"Ohhhh. Baby Malfoy grew some teeth." Peeves cackled.

"Would you like for me to perform the exorcism now?" Spike said menacingly.

With a startle expression Peeves headed silently down the hall.

Spike put his human mask back into place and slowly turned to Harry and Dawn. Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, he became apologetic. "Sorry you guys had to find out like that."

"Why didn't you ever tell us? Tell me?" Dawn asked softly. She had always been close to Spike and thought that they could tell each other anything. The fact that he had kept his heritage a secret hurt her.

"The name Malfoy isn't exactly well liked if you haven't noticed. Although, it's not as if I ever actually acted like one. Why don't I explain everything tonight, to everyone?"

"Does Buffy know?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes 'Bit, she knows. I told her when we became Draco's guardians."

Dawn just nodded her head and entered the classroom.

Spike turned to Harry, "is that all right with you mate?"

"Yeah."

********

That evening the entire scooby gang and Buffy's trainees gathered in the scooby's common room. Everyone was curious to learn about Spike's past.

After everyone was comfortably seated, Spike got up and stood in front of them. "I just want you guys to know that I had left my old life behind me and became someone else. That's why I rarely talk about my human past, let alone my heritage."

Those who weren't present that morning looked at each other in confusion.

"I was born in London in the year 1854 as William Joseph Malfoy."

They all stared at him in mute astonishment, except for Draco. With a look of utter disbelief and outrage he leaped to his feet. "That's impossible! Your name is not listed on the family tree."

"If you'll sit down and listen to my story Blondie, I'll explain." Spike waited until Draco did as he asked before he continued.

"I was the baby of the family and my mother treated me as one. As you can tell by my last name, mine was a wizarding family. My father, Draco, and my two older brothers, Lucius and Anguis, had the typical Malfoy temperament - hard and cruel."

"How come your name is so different from the rest of your family?" Buffy asked.

"My mother chose it. The others are family names, passed down through generations."

"Oh, makes sense."

"My mother," Spike continued, "was kind and gentle. How she ended up with my father I'll never know. She protected me and sheltered me as best she could. As a result I behaved more like her than the rest of the family, much to my father's disappointment.

"When I turned eleven I received my letter of invitation to Hogwarts, like my brothers before me. My mother feared that I would get sorted into Slytherin. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who you asked, I didn't become a Slytherin like all Malfoys."

"Which house did you get sorted into?" Giles asked, with no small amount of curiosity since Spike always avoided the subject.

"Hufflepuff."

"You're joking," said Xander.

"No whelp, I'm not."

"Interesting," Giles murmured.

"Growing up at the Malfoy Mansion had been hell before, but after my sorting it was worse. My father scorned and berated me for not being a proper Malfoy. 

"Since I was so shy I had no close friends growing up and so had no one to talk to besides my mother. That is until a fifth year Gryffindor took pity on me and befriended me."

"Who was it?" Ginny asked, fully intrigued by the story, her fascination with Spike only growing because of the story. The fact that he was a Malfoy didn't bother her.

"Albus Dumbledore."

"You knew Dumbledore when he was a student?" Ron asked with wide eyes. When Spike nodded, Ron grinned and said, "Wicked."

"Actually, he _was_ quite a troublemaker. He was a pretty good prankster in his day."

"No wonder he was so easy with Fred and George," Ron said.

"I'll tell you those stories later. So, Albus became my friend and I was able to share my troubles with him. This just upset my father even more, so I spent very little time at home, mostly just during the summer.

"But however mean and cruel my father was, I always secretly craved his approval, but could never bring myself to behave as he did. After I graduated my mother left my father and I went with her. Because of this, he disowned me and erased me from the family tree. He had been waiting for a good excuse to do it.

"So I lived with my mother for the next eight years and got a job at the Ministry of Magic. Mostly I pushed papers around since I wasn't a very good wizard. I was still as shy as ever so Albus was still my only friend."

Spike ducked his head, he knew Xander was going to give him hell forever about the next bit. "One thing I did have a passion for was writing poetry." He paused waiting for a comment from Xander, when none came he continued. "I wasn't very good at it, but I wrote anyway."

"When I turned twenty-one my mother forced me to go to parties. I think she was worried that I would never find a girl since I was so shy. After a couple of years I finally fell in love with a girl named Cecily. One night after my twenty-sixth birthday we were at a party and I told her how much I loved her. She rejected me and I ran into the streets to hide my humiliation. As I was hiding in a stable Druscilla came to me and turned me."

"Stupid girl," Ginny muttered, referring to Cecily. Everyone looked at her and she blushed furiously. Dawn and Hermione shared knowing looks and giggled quietly.

Spike just raised an eyebrow and continued. "When I awoke as a vampire I felt power running through my body and my secret desires for my father's approval found an outlet with my demon. But when my grandsire, Angelus, learned that my wand carried slayer blood..."

"Your wand has slayer blood?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, my old one carried the blood of the slayer of the time it was made. My new one has Buffy's in it."

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It seemed he was more like Spike than he had thought. His own wand carried the blood of a slayer named Kendra.

"So you had a connection to the slayer line even when you were a human." Hermione said thoughtfully.

Spike tilted his head to one side, "Never thought of that before. Is something of a coincidence though. 'Specially since I've killed two slayers."

"Probably more than a coincidence." Giles pointed out. "I believe I said something to that effect to you several years ago."  
"You killed two slayers?" Ron asked.

"Huh?" Spike said, jolted out of his thoughts. "Oh yeah. I'll get to that. So, Angelus made me put my wand away. Said it was appalling that I would use a wand that had a connection to the thing that hunted us. I stopped practicing magic and eventually forgot where my wand was. In an effort to leave my old life behind me I changed my attitude and my name. I hunted down the ones who had tormented me and shoved a railroad spike into their heads, hence my name.

"I could never find Cecily though; it was almost as if she had dropped off the earth. Wasn't till a couple of years ago that I found out what happened to her."  
"What did happen?" Asked Willow.

"You met her a couple of years ago. She's demon-girl's friend Halfrek."

"That's Cecily?" Buffy asked darkly.

"Yeah luv, thought you knew."

"No, I didn't," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Relax luv. You're the only one in my heart now."

"I better be."

"Can I continue?"

"Yes, but we'll talk about this later."

Spike winced, then continued. "So my life as part of the Scourge of Europe began. I loved my new life, the power, the killing. It was in China during the Boxer Rebellion that I killed my first slayer.

"A couple of years later Angelus left, then Darla."

"Who's Darla?" Asked Ginny.

"Angelus' sire."

"Oh, that's right, now I remember," she said. Spike gave her a quizzical look and she quickly replied, "Dawn mentioned her when she was telling us about Buffy being a slayer."

Spike nodded his head in understanding. "When they left, Dru and I were on our own. I spent most of my time taking care of her since she is quite insane, but I loved her anyway."

"Why did you?" Tara asked.

"Mostly because she was my sire and the blood gave us a connection. But also because of her childlike innocence at times. She had shown me a new world and loved me for who I was and not who I should be. And because the demon in me was attracted to the one in her. She was my black princess."

The room remained quiet for a moment, the only sound being the crackling of the fire. "I wouldn't encounter another slayer until the seventies in New York. She had a lot of fire like Buffy, but in the end I killed her and took her leather duster.

"The next slayer I met was Buffy and she was a challenge. I had set out to kill her like all the others, but in the end it was she who slayed me." He said smiling, while looking at Buffy.

"Ever the poet," Xander snorted.

"So that's my tale. Any questions?"

After his initial outburst, Draco had sat absorbed in his thoughts, only catching snatches of Spike's story.

So Spike knew that not all Malfoy's were evil and yet he still treated him with disdain. Spike was a Malfoy himself and never told him the truth! Had let him believe that he was not worthy of a kind gesture.

Even after he had been placed in Spike's care he had received little in the way of encouragement for his change of demeanor. Instead, Spike had doubted him and treated him as a spy. As if he were there to gather information for Voldemort.

Pain and anger began to rise in him until he could take it no more. He rose to his feet and shouted, "You asshole! You knew you were fuckin' related to me and said nothing! I've done nothing but try to prove to you that I wanted to change and you denied it! You know how hard it is to do what I'm doing, but you never helped me! You fucking son of a bitch!" Then he ran out of the room.


	16. Changing

Chapter Fifteen

Changing

Dawn felt a wrenching in her heart as she watched Draco flee the room. She had been so busy with her own thoughts of Spike that she hadn't even thought about what this could mean to the blond Slytherin.

Buffy rose to follow him, but Spike stopped her. "This is my mess, luv. Let me talk to him."

"Are you sure? He's not exactly happy with you."

"I know, but for the same reason I should be the one to straighten this out." Spike said, pleading with his eyes. After a moment, Buffy nodded her head in assent.

Spike easily followed Draco's scent through the corridors of Hogwarts. He tracked him to a room in a rarely used section of the school. The room was small and had two windows overlooking the forest. The vampire stood in the doorway and watched his many times removed nephew looking out one of the windows.

By the layering of scents in the room, it appeared that Draco came here often, more than likely to be alone. Spike saw the defeated stance of his nephew and inwardly cursed himself for being the cause of it. The kid was right, he knew what he was going through and had treated him no better than Buffy had treated him.

At that moment, Spike swore to himself that he would change his attitude towards his relative. He wanted to make sure the boy had the same opportunities that he had had.

Walking slowly to the other window, he sighed.

"What the fuck do you want?" Asked a harsh voice beside him.

"To talk."

Draco snorted. "Why now? You never seemed to want to before."  
"To help you understand."

"Yeah? Well, what if I don't want to?"

"Too bad."

They stood there in stony silence staring out of their respective windows.

"You really are an asshole, you know that?" Draco said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Been told that before."

They lapsed into silence again. 

Draco's thoughts reeled in his head. Was this the ancestor that woman was talking about in his dream? He did seem to know what it was like to be a member of a family, but not really a part of it.

"So why didn't you tell me?" Draco asked tersely.

"I'm not sure. I had spent over a hundred years burying my human past that I may have resented you for reminding me about it. I instantly placed you on the same level as my father and brothers."

"A year ago you would have been right," Draco said after a moment.  
"What changed?" Spike asked, curious to know what had deterred the young Slytherin from his previous path.

"The attack on the school last year. The death eaters had killed future members of their order. I suddenly realized that it wasn't the kind of life I wanted." Draco trailed off.

Spike stood there in silent understanding. Sometimes those flash of insight change your entire outlook on the world. _Even when they come in dreams_, he thought ruefully.

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me." Draco said, referring to Spike's earlier statement.

"You can't change overnight; it's a long, hard process. You were something of a shit at the beginning of the school year and I had heard stories from Harry..."

"Potter! Of course. Everyone believes the git! He knows all and all must bow before his perfection!" Draco cried, pacing the room and waving his arms for emphasis.

Spike couldn't help but chuckle at his outburst. "He does have that effect on some people doesn't he?"

Draco snorted and simply flipped him off. He slowed his pacing and resumed his spot at the window.

"So why are you talking to me now?" The younger Malfoy asked after a few moments. 

"Dawn."

Draco looked over at him quickly with a small amount of fear in his eyes. Did he know about his obsession with her? Or did she pity him so much that she had sent him there to talk to him? "Dawn?"

"Yeah, she seems to trust you and she has good instincts when it comes to people. If she is giving you a chance, then so should I." Spike paused for a moment, remembering how easily she had accepted him all those years ago. "It would be an insult to her if I didn't treat you the way she had treated me."

"What do you mean?"

"She was the first one to see that I was changing and accepted it at face value. She befriended me."

Draco turned his attention back out the window. 

"Then of course you took a risk when you attacked the demon sneaking up behind her. You could have just left her, but you didn't."

"I wouldn't let anything happen to her." Draco said so quietly that even with his vampiric hearing, Spike had to strain to hear.

For a brief moment Spike saw red. Another boy chasing after his 'Bit, but he calmed himself. 

"So why did you change?" Draco asked suddenly. "You didn't explain that."

"Actually, in the beginning it was forced on me. A secret military group called the Initiative captured me and placed a chip in my head that prevented me from harming human beings."

Draco's eyes widened, "How did you survive without the blood?"

"The scoobies took me in and fed me pig's blood provided I gave them information about the military installation. Buffy refused to stake me cause I couldn't defend myself. Bloody humiliating."

A smirk crossed Draco's face as he realized how much guts it had to take to go to your mortal enemy for help. But it quickly left as he realized he did something of the same thing by going to Dumbledore and receiving training next to a bunch of Gryffindors.

Spike wisely kept his own smirk off his face as he watched the emotions floating across the kid's eyes.

"Then about a year later, had this dream that scared the shit out of me."

Draco looked at him sharply.

"I realized that I was in love with the slayer. After that, everything I did was for her approval. She died and I continued on fighting evil, but no longer for her, but for the 'Bit. Then eventually even for the damn scoobies, but don't tell them that or I'll never hear the end of it."

Draco's smirk returned to his face. "You changed for a girl?"

"Not just any girl, the slayer. Then of course for the Nibblet, she's like a daughter to me." Spike said, giving Draco a pointed look.

Draco swallowed, _so maybe he does know that I care about her_. He racked his brain to come up with another subject. "And the rest just accepted you after Buffy died?"

Acknowledging the change of topic with a rueful chuckle, Spike said, "No, not really. They tolerated me mostly. Although Glinda seemed to like me a little."  
"Glinda?"

"Tara. They originally thought that I was fighting beside them to get to Buffy. But since I had stayed and helped even after she had died, it showed them how wrong that theory was. But they still kept their distance and treated me as an outsider."

"What changed? I mean they seem to accept you now."

"Remember, I said change was a long process. Buffy and I had a brief relationship after she got back, but she was essentially using me. I knew, but didn't care cause it meant that I was able to hold her. She broke it off and then demon-girl got stood up at the altar by the whelp and then next thing I knew I had a one-night stand with Anya."

"Demon-girl?"

"Anya."

"She's a demon?"

"You didn't know that?" Spike asked with some surprise.

"NO! Another thing you guys were hiding from me!" Draco yelled angrily. "The only ones who seem to tell me anything are Buffy and Dawn. You people fuckin' suck!"

"We didn't mean to hide it. She told her demonology classes, I just figured you would have heard about it that way."

Draco looked slightly abashed, "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"Anything else I should know about the group?"

"Let's see.... Giles was expelled from Hogwarts his final year."  
"For what?"

"Raising some demon, I think. I'm not exactly sure, you'd have to ask him. Umm, Willow tried to end the world."

Draco's jaw dropped. "I know you're kidding."

"Nope, can ask her yourself."

"Merlin! And they had problems accepting you?"

"Yeah, cause I wasn't human."  
"Anya isn't!"

"Actually, for a while she was. She was originally a human who was scorned and she cast a vengeance spell and was turned into a demon."  
"For casting a spell?"  
"It was a little more complicated than that. She was offered the chance by another demon and she took it. After a thousand years her talisman of power was destroyed by the scoobies and she was turned human. She returned to her vengeance demon status after the whelp stood her up."

"I can see why she did, the stupid git."

"After my one night stand I left and wandered for a while until a short, horribly dressed demon approached me in New Orleans..."  
"Whistler?"

Spike looked at his nephew sharply, "How do you know Whistler?"

"Came to me in a dream the other night, after the incident in the forest."  
"Yeah, and what did he say?"

"That I could be someone who could be counted."  
Spike stared at him for a few moments. So this was the one the little demon had referred to. He inwardly sighed; things were never easy were they? He knew that the PTB's had a twisted sense of humor, but this was too much.

Draco began to squirm under Spike's stare. "What?"

The vampire shook himself out of his thoughts and continued his story. "So the annoying demon took me to a demon doctor who removed my chip under the condition that I would continue my work for the PTB and to help another who would stray from the path others would set for him. He said that they would be a kindred soul. I didn't realize just how much of one until just now."

The young Malfoy gave him a quizzical look.

Spike rolled his eyes. "You."

Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously and his shoulders tensed up. "So you knew you were suppose to help me and yet you didn't?!"

With no small amount of exasperation, Spike said, "If you would listen you would have heard that I said I just figured it out."

The Slytherin's shoulders relaxed. "Oh."

Spike silently marveled at the sheer idiocy of youth today. They seemed to only concentrate on what they wanted to hear and not what was actually being said. Maybe that's why he was so good at reading people cause he truly listened and saw. Although that did seem to fail him when it came to Draco. How could he have missed that?

"Spike?"

"Huh?"

"I said that according to Whistler you already worked for the PTB, when did that happen?"

"Apparently when I started helping the slayer. She is their instrument and by working with her and I also became a warrior for the light."

"Did she know this?"

"At the time no. However, she had somehow found out about it by the time I got back to Sunnydale after my operation. She accepted me without question. Although the scoobies placed some protests early on, they eventually included me into the group. I've really only been a solid 'member' for less than a year."

"Did you ever ask her why she accepted you?"

"Yeah. All she said was that she had realized that she did love me and that was all that mattered. I was no dummy, and I didn't question her about it again."

Draco didn't say anything and just stared thoughtfully out the window. He had received so much information that night that his head was beginning to swim. It was hard to sort everything out so that it made any sort of sense.

Spike must have sensed Draco's inner chaos cause he asked, "Any more questions for tonight?"

Draco turned to look his 'great' uncle in the eye, "Just one, is it worth it?"

Returning the look with absolute conviction he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and said, "Yes." 

Hope welled up in Draco's gray eyes and he returned his gaze to the forest. Spike's face carried a small smile as he exited the room.


	17. Talking About Draco

Chapter Sixteen

Talking About Draco

Buffy was waiting in their room when Spike returned from his talk with Draco. From her body language and the feigned innocent look on her face he knew that he would have some explaining to do about Cecily. He could have sworn she had known, but as he thought about it, she would have said something about it earlier.

"How's Draco?"

"Fine. The kid's been given a lot to think about. Not to mention, Whistler talked to him."

"Whistler, huh?" She asked distractedly.

Spike sighed, he knew this conversation was only prolonging the argument that was to come. "Yeah. Told the kid he could be someone to be counted."  
"Is that so?"

The blond vampire quirked an eyebrow up. "Out with it, luv."

"Out with what?"

He pinched his nose in an odd Giles-like manner, then inwardly berated himself for allowing the watcher to rub off on him. "Whatever it is that's got your knickers in a twist."  
"My knickers huh?"

"Luv, you mind not repeating what I say and ask me about what you want to know?"

"When did you find out that Halfrek was Cecily?"

"After the wedding fiasco."

"That long ago and you never told me?!"

"Well, if you remember, we weren't exactly talking at that time!"

Buffy's demeanor suddenly shifted and she dropped her gaze to the floor and she softly asked, "Did you two...I mean did you ever..."

"Sleep with her?"

She silently nodded.

Spike suddenly understood. He took her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Nothing happened, luv. We talked one night that's all. I'm a different person than William and I don't see her like that anymore. I love you, why would I ever want her?"

"Because she's a demon and she could be by your side forever," came Buffy's muffled reply.

He pulled away from Buffy and lifted her chin so he could look directly into her tear filled hazel eyes. Pouring all the emotion he felt for her into his blue eyes and voice, he said, "I love you, Buffy, not her. I would not have gone through the claiming process if I didn't love you. You are the only one I want to be with."

"Really?" Buffy asked tearfully.

"Really really." Spike said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed her gently. "Why don't we get some sleep? It's been a long day."

Buffy looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Why don't you show me how much you love me instead?"

"With pleasure," Spike said with a smile. "With pleasure."

******

Down the hall, Willow and Tara were having their own conversation about the information unveiled that evening.

"Wow. Imagine, Spike a Malfoy," Tara said with some surprise. "No wonder he knew so much about their family history."

"Yeah. To think he was a poet too," Willow said with a giggle.

"I knew he was artistic by his aura. It always shimmered faintly on the edges."

"Really? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Wasn't my place," Tara said with a shrug. "For all I knew it was something that he wanted to keep just for himself and those he held close."

"I could see why if it's true that he was terrible at it."

"So do you really think Draco is trying to change?"

"I don't know," Willow answered, chewing on her lower lip in thought. "He seemed genuinely upset that Spike didn't tell him that they were related and wasn't helping him."

"You would think that Spike would have been more sympathetic to him cause he had gone though the same thing."  
"I know, but he tends to be overprotective of Buffy and Dawn. He probably only saw Draco as a possible threat to their safety."

"True. But Dawn trusts him and she's usually a pretty good judge of character."

"Except that one Halloween when she went out with that vampire," Willow pointed out.

Tara laughed. "I can't believe she didn't know he was one after spending so much time with Spike."

"I know. You would have thought the low body temperature would have been a dead giveaway. Pun definitely intended." Willow said, joining in with her lover's laughter.

After their laughter died down, Tara turned serious again. "I hope it wasn't a mistake telling Draco about the key."

"Me too."

********

Anya, Xander, and Giles stayed in the scoobies common room after everyone else had gone to bed, talking quietly. After Spike had returned and gone up to the room he shared with Buffy, Xander stood and began pacing.

"I don't like this G-man."

"Xander, I have repeatedly asked you not to call me that."

Not hearing a word Giles said, Xander continued. "I don't trust this kid, he's up to something."

"What makes you say that?" Giles asked.

"Cause he's a Malfoy! Buffy told me the kid admitted to her that his father is a death eater. He's spying on us for his dark lord."

"Oh Xander, shut up."

"Ahn!"

"Can't you ever believe someone when they say they want to change?"

"My distrust of strangers has kept me alive for the past twenty-two years."

"It's also what kept me an arms length from you!"

"This isn't about me, it's about Draco!"

"Oh yeah, always turning the conversation from yourself. Xander when are you ever going to grow up?"

"What do you mean, grow up?"

"I know it's hard for you to think about truly letting someone join your little clique, let alone actually let them in."

"Every time we let someone in, something happens! Angel turned into Angelus, Oz left Willow devastated, Tara nearly died causing Willow to go evil, Dawn brought Glory and Buffy's death, Faith betrayed us, and all the girls have broken my heart!"

Rage burned in Anya's eyes and she unconsciously morphed into her demon form. "Correction _Harris_. It was _you_ who left me at the altar. It was _you_ who broke my heart. It was _you _who caused me so much pain that D'Hoffryn offered me my old job back. _That_ is what I meant when I told you to grow up. Accept the responsibilities of your actions." With that, she spun on her heel and stomped off to her room.

Xander turned to Giles with confusion in his eyes. "What the hell was that?"

Giles simply said, "She's right." Then he, too, left the room. Leaving Xander standing there wondering how he ended up with all the blame.

********

In the Gryffindor Tower, Dawn lay in her bed staring out her window. She absently petted Latyar, her sugar glider, who lay on her chest. So many things had happened in the past week that she was feeling slightly overwhelmed.

First that weird incident in the forest followed by that strange dream about Doyle. Then the magic of the key was manifesting in more ways than with just her wand. And to top it off, one of her best friends hadn't told her all about his past.

She sighed. _Life just couldn't be easy could it?_ Then to make matters worse, there were these weird butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of or saw Draco. _Damn, there they are again. What's up with that?_

True, the boy was gorgeous and had a body to die for. The accent was especially yummy, although everyone here had one except for the scoobies. Then there were those gray eyes that she could just drown in.

__

Stupid girl! Remember you like Harry! That sweet boy who didn't change his attitude towards her when she told him she wasn't always human. Although Draco hadn't changed his behavior either. Just kept his gaze firmly fixed on her whenever she was in the same room. Didn't matter if it was during training sessions or meals in the Great Hall.

__

Harry! Remember Harry! Dawn closed her eyes and tried to visualize Harry. But instead of messy black hair and an easy smile, she saw slicked back pale blond hair and strong chiseled features. Her eyes flew open.

"Grrr. Why do my thoughts always drift to him?" She asked Latyar quietly. The sugar glider just looked at her with wide, trusting eyes. "You're no help." 

What Dawn really needed was a girl friend to be able to talk to about this. She instantly dismissed the scoobies cause it would just feel weird talking to them about it, kind of like talking to a parent. She then thought about Hermione and Ginny. She had grown pretty close to both girls over the past month and a half, but were they close enough to be able to talk about a major guy problem like this? Not to mention that one of their best friends was one of her problem, and the other their enemy.

Dawn sighed again. Ginny wasn't as close to Harry as Hermione was so it would probably be the easiest to talk to her. _Oh, crap!_ _Ginny has that crush on Harry._ At least she used to, Dawn hadn't seen any signs of it all year. Maybe she was over him which would make it ok to talk to her. Dawn decided to ask her tomorrow on the way to quidditch practice.

*****

Dawn caught up with Ginny just as she was exiting Gryffindor Tower.

"Hey Gin!" Can I talk to you about something?"

Ginny stopped and let Dawn catch up. "Sure, what's wrong?" She asked as they started walking together.

Suddenly, Dawn hesitated. How was she going to be able to talk about this without really saying any names? Deciding on a tactic she said, "I have this friend..."

"Uh huh," Ginny said knowingly. She knew that was the universal statement for this is about me, but I don't really want to embarrass myself by saying so.

Dawn inwardly groaned, she knew that plan wasn't going to work so she tried again. "Alright, _I_ have this little problem."

Ginny smiled brightly, "See, that wasn't so bad. Now, what's wrong?"

"I like this guy who is one of the nicest, sweetest, cutest guys I've ever met."

The smile vanished from Ginny's face. She knew that Dawn was talking about Harry, that description fit him to a tee. But she thought that Dawn knew about her crush on the boy that lived. Maybe this was Dawn's way of making sure it was okay with her that she pursued Harry.

Ginny was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed Dawn saying, "but now I think I like someone else. He's all I ever think about. I even see him in my dreams."

__

A new guy? Hmm, maybe I have more of a chance with Harry than I thought. "So, what's the problem?"

"Let's just say this other guy isn't exactly 'take home' material."

"Take home material?" Ginny asked with a look of utter confusion.

"He's a bad boy. One that your parents would forbid you to go out with once they've met him."

"Oh," Ginny said in sudden understanding. "Who is it?"

"I really don't want to say."

"Oh come on, you can tell me."

"Promise you won't tell anyone else?"

Ginny nodded and said, "Promise."

Dawn took a deep breath then said, "Draco."

The redhead stopped dead in her tracks and dropped her broom. "Draco Malfoy?!"

"Shh!" Dawn said as she looked around to see if anyone heard. "Yes, Draco Malfoy. How many other Draco's do you know?"

"But why?"

"I don't know. You know, people don't really have a say in who they're attracted to." They started walking again after Ginny picked up her broom.

"Draco Malfoy," Ginny said again, this time with slight wonderment. "He is kind of hot, now that I think about it. He's got a good build, and a rather sexy smirk."

Dawn felt a surge of jealousy. "Been eyeing my man huh?"

Ginny looked at Dawn then suddenly laughed. "Oh yeah. You've got it bad."

"I know, sorry about that."

"It's okay." She paused before saying, "So Draco huh?"

"Yeah. I think there is more to him than what other people see 'cause they never take the time to try. There is so much behind his Malfoy defenses."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"About what?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Your crush on Draco."

"It's not a crush!" Dawn said hotly, then calmed down. "I've had those before. I think this is something deeper, I just don't know what it is."

"I ask again, what are you going to do about it?"

"For now, nothing. I don't want to scare him, and he needs time to adjust to everything he's learned about himself. I really don't want to add to the chaos in his life."

"I understand," Ginny said as they reached the field. "But don't wait too long."  
"Don't wait too long for what?" Harry asked as he approached them.

"Nothing," Dawn said as she got on her broom and took off.

"What was that about?" He asked Ginny.

She simply replied, "Girl stuff," and took off.

**********

That evening during dinner, Draco sat at the end of the Slytherin table by himself. For the past two months he had been slowly distancing himself from his so-called friends. By now they were used to him eating by himself and disappearing for several eyes every night.

He knew that it wouldn't be long before his father received word about the change of guardianship. Once that happened he knew he would have to watch his step around his housemates. He doubted that anyone would directly attack him since it would be highly suspicious, but he wouldn't put it past them to try something devious.


	18. Kicking Ass

Chapter Seventeen

Kicking Ass

The rest of the week past in a blur for Dawn because all she could think about was her first quidditch game against Hufflepuff that upcoming Saturday. Her stomach twisted into knots every time she started to think about it. She began to wonder why she even wanted to play in the first place.

__

Duh, you feigned interest in it for Harry's sake then actually fell in love with the game, she reminded herself as she joined her teammates who were waiting to be announced.

Harry must have sensed her nervousness cause he crossed to her and enveloped her in a hug. "Relax. Just do what you've done in practice and you'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say, all you have to worry about is that stupid gold ball," she said sarcastically into his shoulder.

He chuckled and gave her a final squeeze before releasing her. "Seriously, we're going to kick their ass."  
"Harry!"

"Sorry Gin," he said, with a look that said he was anything but. "There's no way we can lose, their team is very inexperienced. Not to mention they don't have a secret weapon like we do."

"What is our weapon?"

Harry turned to Dawn in surprise. "It's you and Ginny."

"Huh? Run that by me again."

He looked at her in wonder and then at Ginny. They had no clue exactly how good they were. "I haven't even seen professionals as good as the two of you. You're unstoppable."

Dawn gave him a look that clearly said whatever and was about to respond when they heard Emma Dobbs announce them. They quickly mounted their brooms and took to the sky. Dawn was actually feeling a bit better after her brief conversation with Harry.

In the stands Draco was even more nervous than Dawn was. He knew that people got hurt playing the game and he couldn't bare the thought of anything happening to her. The fact that she had been surrounded by danger since she was created and that she fought demons and vampires never crossed his mind. All he knew was that the bludgers would be out there, whirling around her, waiting for their chance to strike.

On the other side of the field, in the professor's stand, the scooby gang was eagerly awaiting the start of the game. This was to be the first game of the season and they were anxious to see it played. They had only seen the mock game that they had played during try-outs.

Buffy and Spike rose to their feet to cheer when they saw Dawn fly by. Buffy was so happy to see her sister enjoying something of a normal life. True she was playing a wizard's game on a flying broom, but it was something that wasn't terribly wrought with danger. Yes, she could get hurt, but at least demons weren't trying to kill her. At least there were moments that Dawn could forget about all of that and just be a kid, she had grown up way too fast for Buffy's liking.

"Remember that the snitch is worth a hundred fifty points!" The announcer Emma Dobbs was saying. "Madam Hooch has released the bludgers! The quaffle is tossed and caught by Gryffindor's chaser Seamus Finnigan. He heads toward the Hufflepuff goal and OH! He swerves to miss a bludger and drops the quaffle! Luckily Talan Stottlemire catches it and tosses it to Ron Weasley who throws it at the goal! Owen Cauldwell blocks!"

Draco watched with fascination. His angel was flying like a bat out of hell. Dawn and Ginny were flying in perfect synchronization, yet saying not a word to each other. Their connection was actually kind of eerie and he began to fear to face them on the field when their houses were to play each other.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remove his eyes from her. She showed no fear on the field, and no mercy. He winced as Anthony Goldstein, Hufflepuff's seeker, barely ducked a bludger that Dawn had sent in his direction.

Buffy sat on the edge of her seat watching the action unfolding in front of her. Even during her brief time as a cheerleader at Hemery high, she had never enjoyed a sports event like this. Of course, she could be a little biased seeing as how her sister was playing this one.

Spike grinned at her when they rose to cheer for Ron, who had scored the first goal for Gryffindor. "Well luv, what do you think of our little game now?"

"This is absolutely fabulous! I'll admit I was still a little worried about Dawn, but I can understand why she likes to play. It's actually a really exciting game."

"Would you mind sitting down so the rest of us can see?" Came a rude and condescending voice behind them.

Before Buffy could retort, Anya spoke up, "Listen hawk-nose, why don't you find an orgasm friend and lighten up?"

Snape's eyes widen and his face turned purple with rage. "Listen _young_ lady."

"I'm not young! I'm over a thousand years old and you would do well to remember that! Now shut up and stop ruining everyone's fun. If you can't see, stand or move!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" He cried, rising to his feet.

"Cause you can't do anything to me!"

"Want to make a bet, little girl!"

That was the last straw. Anya morphed into her demon face and Xander stepped between them. "Hey guys, remember the game? You know support the students? Yay students?"

Anya reverted to her human form, but not before issuing her final threat, "Remember that I'm a vengeance demon, and I have lots of friends before insulting me again."

Snape just stared at her with a thoughtful expression on his face, but didn't say anything.

When the scoobies returned their attention back to the game they discovered that Gryffindor had scored again making it twenty to nothing.

Dawn caught the subtle signal that Ginny gave her. While Dawn immediately saw an idea, the crowd saw nothing but Ginny flicking her braid around. It was a system the girls had set up early in practice; not even Harry knew what their signals were. Dawn had gotten the idea from watching baseball games; she just made theirs subtler so nobody else would catch on to what they were doing. This way they could stay in constant communication without wearing their voices out by shouting across the field, or even letting the other team know what their plans were.

Unfortunately, their plan didn't work and one of the Hufflepuff chasers got by them and scored. 

"Damn!"

"Dawn!"

"Sorry Ginny." Dawn said with a grin

At that moment Harry and Anthony saw the snitch and they took off after it. Ginny looked at Dawn, who nodded, and they took off on opposite sides of the field. Ginny concentrated on keeping the Hufflepuff chasers away from the quaffle, while Dawn turned her attention on Anthony.

Dawn saw a bludger flying high and she took off after it. She kept Hufflepuff's seeker in sight as she timed her hit. She arrived at a spot a few seconds before the bludger, which gave her time to calculate the trajectory. She swung and watched the bludger hit the back of Anthony's broom knocking him off course and allowing Harry to catch the snitch.

"Harry Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Emma called.

*******

The following Monday Ron and Hermione were in wicca class working on a simple shield spell. That is, Hermione was working while Ron watched in fascination.

He watched her chest slowly rise and fall as she centered herself, then scrunched up her nose in concentration. _Merlin, she is beautiful_. The redhead decided then that he could easily live out the rest of his life just watching the beauty before him. _Not like you'd ever get the chance to though,_ he reminded himself.

Hermione opened her eyes and said, "Contego." A spark fizzled in front of her. "I don't understand why this isn't working!"

"Maybe you're trying too hard 'Mione."

"Really? I'd like to see you do better."

"Fine. Contego." A hazy field appeared around him and he jumped slightly. "Holy shit!"

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione said warningly.

Tara walked over and gently tested his shield. "Very nice Ron. You're the first one to be able to do this spell today."

Ron's eyes widened. "You mean none of the girls have done this?"

"Nope. How many times did it take you to do this?"

He dropped his eyes and sheepishly said, "once."

Tara looked momentarily startled, then she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Ron, how many times did it take you to do the other spells correctly?"

"Only once or twice."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason. Can you take the shield down?"

"Sure, dissuo." The haze disappeared and Tara continued to look at him with a thoughtful expression. "What?" Ron asked after a few moments. Tara's stare was beginning to make him uncomfortable.

"Nothing. You two continue practicing." She said, then went over to Willow.

Ron turned to Hermione, "what was that all about?"

Hermione was also looking at him in mild surprise. "Have the spells in this class have really been that easy for you?"

"Yeah, you haven't had any problems until now either though."

"Actually I have. I have to concentrate really hard to get them to work and it usually takes me the whole class to get a spell to work. You barely focus and yet they work immediately for you."

"I told you, you're trying too hard. This stuff is actually pretty easy."

Hermione didn't get a chance to respond cause Willow and Tara chose that moment to approach them.

Willow turned to Hermione, "Hermione, try raising a shield please."

The brunette looked at her for a moment, then closed her eyes and concentrated. She calmed herself then tried to pull the magicks in. She opened her eyes and said, "Contego." The air around her shimmered for a moment then fizzled out.

Willow then turned to Ron. "Your turn."

Ron just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Contego." Instantly the haze surrounded him again.

Willow probed the shield cautiously, and then with some force. "Ok Ron, take it down."

With confusion written all over his face he said, "Dissuo." Once again the shield disappeared.

Willow studied Ron carefully as she asked, "Ron what are you thinking when you cast a spell?"

"Not much really. I know what it is suppose to be doing, I say it, then it happens." He said with bewilderment.

"More importantly, what do you feel?"

"I just feel something build then release."  
"How does that make you feel?"

"Why are you asking him all of these questions?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Willow ignored her, "How does the power make you feel?"

"I don't know, never really thought about it. Why?"

Tara and Willow looked at each other.

~Should we say anything?~ Tara asked.

~Better to start now while we can give him guidance.~ Willow replied.

~He could be more powerful than you. You never caught on this quickly in the beginning.~

~I know, that's what worries me.~ Willow turned her attention back to Ron and Hermione. "Ron, could you come see Tara and I later tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We'll talk about it then."  
"Alright, I'll be here after my training with Buffy."

************

Draco couldn't stop staring at Dawn that night while they were stretching. He still couldn't believe that this frail looking angel before him was hiding a vicious quidditch player inside. He knew she was tough from his observations and that fight with the demons, but she seemed so calculating and ruthless on the playing field.

"What?" Dawn said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're staring, why?"

"You were amazing during the game Saturday."

Dawn blinked. That wasn't what she was expecting to come out of his mouth. Some sort of snide remark about her and Harry, but not that. "Thanks," she said hesitantly.

"No really. You and the Weasley girl were amazing."

"Her name is Ginny."

"Huh?"

"Draco, how can you ever expect people to be nice to you if you're not nice back?"

"Huh?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "They would stop calling you Malfoy if you stopped calling them by their last names."

"Why would I stop?"

"Never mind."

Draco now stared at her in confusion. He had always referred to the others by their last name and vice versa. It was just the way of life, kind of like Spike's nicknames for everybody. 

Spike entered the room, crossed to them and knelt down next to them. "The two of you will serve another night of detention with Buffy and I on Friday."

"What are we doing?" Dawn asked.

"Patrolling."

"Again! Are you nuts?"

"Relax blondie. No vamp nest this time, just a simple routine patrol. We won't even go very far into the forest, just enough so you guys can get some practice fighting demons." 

"Yeah, like cleaning out the nest was suppose to be simple." Draco bit out. "We saw how that turned out."

Spike shot a scalding look at Draco. "Listen Draco, I know things have been hard for you. But since you are now our responsibility you just have to learn that fighting for your life is almost an everyday occurrence. We would rather be there for you in the beginning so you can start getting adjusted to it. As a matter of fact, you guys will start patrolling with us every Friday for the rest of the year."

Draco opened his mouth to reply when he heard Dawn cough. He looked at her and she sent him a signal to stop before things got worse. "Fine." Draco said grudgingly. He had no doubt that Spike could make things even worse.

*********

Ron anxiously entered the wiccan classroom. His eyes fell on Willow and Tara at the front of the room and he nervously approached them.

Willow gave him an easy smile, "Go ahead and sit down Ron."

He quickly took a seat and looked expectantly at them.

"Ron we want you to know that you're not in trouble, we just wanted to talk to you about some things privately." Tara began.

"You see, Ron. You're showing some amazing abilities for someone who just started studying. You seem to have an aptitude for wicca." Willow continued

"Huh?"

"This comes easy and naturally. Not only that, you're pretty strong for a novice. What we would like to do is give you some extra training so you can understand and more easily harness your power."

"So that the black magic won't corrupt me like it did you?"

Willow winced and Ron was immediately apologetic, "Yes, like me."

"You think this will help?"

Tara stepped in and said, "Yes. I was taught the guidelines and slowly immersed into by my mother and it helped me resist any temptation."

Ron began to get apprehensive. He was suddenly told that he had a natural talent for wicca, which could easily corrupt. From the looks on Willow and Tara's faces it seemed that he was also pretty strong. What if their extra teaching wouldn't help and he still went evil. Did he even want to continue his training? He could just drop this class and go back to divination or even take demonology with Harry and Dawn.

Tara saw Ron's indecision crossing his face and placed her hand on his. "This is entirely up to you and you don't have to decide right now. Just know that once you've started it's hard to not use it. And you're powerful enough that it may leak out at strange moments like if you're scared or angry."

He just looked at her with wide eyes. 

Willow smiled again, "Why don't you go back to your room and think about it? Don't be afraid to ask your friends what they think, that's what they're there for."

Ron just numbly nodded and left the room.

"You think he'll let us help?" Tara asked nervously.

"I hope so. He's a smart kid, not to mention Hermione will probably send him to us first thing in the morning. She's very protective of him."  
"Not just protective," Tara said mysteriously.

"So you've seen it too?"

"Of course, her aura screams out her love for him as his does hers."

Willow laughed, "Think they've admitted it yet?"

"To themselves? Maybe. To each other? Definitely no."


	19. Hugs All Around

Chapter Eighteen

Hugs All Around

Ron left the room and began to wander aimlessly around the castle, lost in his thoughts. What Willow and Tara had told him, scared and excited him all at the same time.

It scared him because he had heard how easily that kind of power could corrupt. To do more training brought a greater risk cause the more he learned the more likely he would want to use it. He could become as feared as he-who-must-not-be-named.

But on the other hand this was something that he could be good at. He never mentioned it but he was jealous sometimes of his best friends. Harry was a natural at quidditch while he struggled to become good enough for the team. And Hermione was so smart and mastered spells with her wand easily. Wicca could be something that he alone could shine at on his own.

He soon found himself standing in front of the fat lady. He absently whispered the password and entered the Gryffindor Tower. He didn't even see Hermione until she lightly grabbed his arm to get his attention.

"Are you ok?"

Ron looked down into her soft brown eyes and saw the concern in them. He remembered that Willow told him to talk to his friends. He gave her a small lopsided smile, "Can we talk privately?"

She nodded and pulled him into a secluded corner of the common room. After they sat down she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Willow and Tara want me to get special training cause apparently I'm pretty strong." Ron said quietly as he played with the fuzz on his sweater.

"Ron, that's great!"

He lifted his gaze to meet hers and said, "Are you sure? I mean what if I get really strong and can't resist the dark magic? What if I became more feared than you-know-who?"

Hermione had an exasperated look on her face as she said, "Ron, the more support and training you receive, the less likely that will happen."

The red head looked at her curiously, "How would you know that?"

"I talked to Willow one day. She told me that she had never received any training until after she had tried to end the world. She thinks that her lack of training was the cause of her problems. She also told me that Tara is just as strong as she is but never dabbled in the dark arts."  
"Cause she had training." Ron finished for her. "But how can I fit that training into my schedule? I have almost no free time now as it is."  
"Drop something," Hermione said simply.

"It's not that easy 'Mione."  
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Why not replace some of your training sessions with Buffy and Spike for ones with Willow and Tara. That way you still get to do everything."

Ron smiled and hugged her. "You're a genius! I'll tell them tomorrow! Thanks for listening." He let go and ran to his room with a lighter heart.

Hermione sat there in stunned silence. _He hugged me!_ She closed her eyes as she remembered the feel of his arms around her. She wished she had had enough sense to hug him back. It just happened so quickly that she had barely been able to register what was happening before he had pulled away. She sighed and locked the feeling away to treasure it since it would probably never happen again.

********

The next morning Ron went to talk to Willow, Tara, and Buffy about adjusting his training schedule. For some reason that he couldn't figure out, the two witches kept exchanging knowing looks as he explained how he came to his decision. He would now be training with Buffy and Spike on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then with Willow and Tara on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The rest of the week passed quietly as the students immersed themselves in their studies and training. Soon, Draco and Dawn found themselves in the forbidden forest again. This time, in addition to her stakes, Dawn carried her wand and a short sword. She had even convinced Draco to forgo his robes for clothing that he could more easily move in. He also carried a dagger tucked into his belt.

Dawn kept looking at the youngest Malfoy and had to admit he looked quite yummy in his black t-shirt and jeans. She could tell now that he was definitely related to Spike, if by his wardrobe preferences alone. The shirt clung nicely to his lithe figure and Dawn had to keep checking her chin for drool.

Since her conversation with Ginny two weeks ago, Dawn had spent a great deal of time sorting out her feelings for Harry and Draco. While it was true that Harry was quite adorable and she felt a strong connection to him, it was not romantic like she had originally thought. The feelings had evolved into a love for a brother.

Draco, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. While she knew little about his past, she did know his present. She saw someone struggling to change his previous path, and wanting help to do it, but had too much pride to ask for it. His strength of character was what was enabling him to continue on. She kept trying to come up with a way to get to know him better that wouldn't hurt his pride.

"I hope this turns out better than last time," she heard Draco say.

"No kidding. I don't want to spend any more time in the hospital wing than necessary," Dawn said with a chuckle.

"That, and no more visits from demons in my dreams," he said absently.

Dawn stopped in her tracks and stared. When Draco realized she was no longer walking beside him, he stopped and turned around. "What?"

In a voice barely above a whisper she asked, "You had one too?"

The blonde's eyes widened and he took several steps towards her. "From the Powers That Be?"

"As a guide?"

"And some strange guy talking about cheese?"

"He's appeared before in Buffy's dreams."

"What did Buffy say when you told her?"

"I haven't told her."

"What?! I at least told Spike!"

By this time Buffy and Spike had noticed that they no longer had their charges behind them. They had retraced their steps back in time to hear Draco's cry.

"You told me what?" Spike asked.

Never tearing his eyes from Dawn, he said, "About my dream of Whistler! Apparently she had one of her own and didn't tell anyone."

"Is that true, Dawn?" Buffy asked.

"Excuuuse me for forgetting about it!" Dawn yelled, also keeping her gaze on Draco, but stepping closer until she was standing almost nose to nose with him. "But I had other things occupying my mind. Like learning that the key is still active, Spike is your great uncle many times removed, and my first quidditch game!"

"I think I would remember to talk about a demon in my dreams!"

"Draco..." Buffy started.

"Yeah, well this is the first I've heard about yours! Who's not been talking now?!"

"Bit..."

"I said that I told Spike!"

"And what did he have to say?"

"He...He..."

"Ha! You didn't tell him did you?"

"Actually, he did Bit."

The two students suddenly remembered that they were no longer alone.

"Well. That was...enlightening." Buffy began. "Since you two have now scared off any demons lurking around, we might as well go inside and talk about these dreams."

*****

Dawn and Draco sat on opposite ends of the couch in the scooby's common room studiously ignoring each other. Buffy and Spike had seated them there and gave them strict instructions not to move until they returned with the others.

In all honesty, Dawn had forgotten to tell Buffy about her dreams. So much had happened at once that it had slipped her mind. What had made her mad was that Draco had talked to her like she was an idiot.

Draco sat there worrying about whether or not his angel would figure out why he had gotten so upset. What if that dream had a warning about something trying to harm her? Something that could seriously hurt her or even kill her. His outburst had stemmed from worry and fear rather than anger.

In short order the rest of the scooby gang had found their way into the room and seated themselves anxiously awaiting the recent news.

Giles had a notepad and pen ready to take notes. "Draco, why don't you tell us about your dream first."

The blond nodded and began describing the desert landscape. When he started to describe the woman he noticed that Spike went white as a sheet and became visibly shaken.

"Are you sure that's what she looked like?" Spike whispered.

"Yeah, why?"

It took Spike a moment before he could answer. "She's my mother, Elise Malfoy."

Draco had to force his jaw not to drop. "That would explain why she seemed so familiar and knew about the Malfoy history."

"What did she tell you?"

"That my ancestor would explain the past. I'm guessing that's you. Then she said that you and Buffy cared about me and I didn't know much about the people around me." Draco paused for a moment before muttering, "She wasn't lying about that last bit."

Spike winced, being the only one in the room who heard the last comment.

"Then there was this bloody annoying bald git going on about cheese."

"Oh! You saw him too!" Willow squeaked.

"I think most of us have seen him Wills." Xander said. "Of course, I don't like to recall that dream since I ended up with a gaping chest wound."

Draco looked around confused.

"Were stalked in our dreams by the first slayer. Tell ya the whole wiggy story later." Willow explained.

The blond slowly nodded and continued. "Then this Whistler guy..."

Buffy snorted. "Is he still extremely annoying?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. Told me I could be someone who could be counted, that something was comin', and that the dawn will bring about a new day. Then I woke up."

"It sounds as if your dream is just reconfirming most of what we already know. That you are changing for the better and that once again evil is at foot."

"What about the stuff about a dawn bringing about a new day? That sounds new." Xander pointed out.

"It sounds like some sort of clue." Tara said thoughtfully. "Most of what he said was to give Draco some encouragement to continue his change. That last statement could be a hint on how to beat whatever it is that's coming."

"That sounds quite plausible." Giles said. "Let's wait until we hear Dawn's dream before we make anymore conclusions. The fact that they both received messages at the same time signifies that they are related. Dawn."

The brunette gathered herself for a moment, recalling everything that happened in her dream. "I was in a field of flowers and I finally got to meet Doyle."  
"Cute wasn't he?" Buffy asked with a mischievous grin. Spike scowled at her and she chuckled. "Relax, he died several years ago."  
"Who was the bloke?"

"Angel's seer before Cordelia. I believe you met him when you went to steal the Gem of Amarra."  
"Can I continue?" Dawn asked impatiently. At Buffy's nod she said, "Then that cheese guy appeared. Doyle told me we wouldn't understand him even if he explained."

"Well that's a comforting thought," Xander muttered.

"Told me that something is coming in the usual PTB vague way and that I had to be the one ready."

"No!" Buffy yelled.

Dawn turned to her sister. "Doyle kind of intimated that I was the only one who could do it. You're suppose to help and one other."

"Who's the other?" Spike ground out.

"I don't know, he wouldn't say." Dawn purposely left out the part of opening heart. She was pretty confident that he had been talking about Draco, but she didn't want to scare him or upset the others. She reckoned they would figure it all out later.

"Anything else?" Giles asked.

"Yeah. He asked if I knew what I was and I said the key, then he told me that I haven't even begun. And then I woke up."

Buffy looked like she was trying to remember something.

"Buffy, what is it?"

"I've heard those words before. In my dream about the first slayer. The dream Tara told me that 'you think you know what's to come what you are? You haven't even begun.' The last thing I heard before switching locations was 'be home before dawn'."

Giles stood, took his glasses off, and then began pacing. "From our own calculations Dawn appeared several months after that. It would seem that the dawn Tara was referring to was your sister. We can then also infer that the dawn Whistler mentioned would also be her. Which means that there is a double reference to this being Dawn's battle."

"English G-man, English."

"Dawn will be the one to fight and she's going to need the key's power to do it." Willow gently explained.

"No!" Buffy yelled. "The last time that happened she nearly died!"

"But luv, remember what Dumbledore said that the key could be used for more than it's original purpose."

"I don't care Spike! She shouldn't have to do this! I'm the chosen one, not her! This is my responsibility!"

During the argument, Draco had been carefully watching Dawn. He saw fear and then grim determination cross her beautiful face. He could tell that no matter what the others decided, she would do what she thought was right. Despite the fact that intense fear gripped his heart when he thought about her placing herself in danger, he decided that she wouldn't have to do it alone.

"Why don't you ask Dawn about what she wants?" Draco heard himself ask.

All eyes turned to Dawn and she began to squirm under their expectant gazes. Before she could say anything though, Giles interceded.

"I believe that we're all very tired and we should at least sleep on this. Maybe the morning could shine some new light on the situation."

"But tomorrow is Hogsmeade!" Dawn exclaimed. "I wanted to go."

"Very well. I don't thing we are in any immediate danger. Why don't we discuss this after Halloween on Tuesday."

Everyone nodded their heads in assent then headed off to their respective rooms. As Dawn and Draco walked through the halls on the way to their houses, Dawn had an idea.

"So, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" She casually asked.

"I guess so, why?"

"Just wondering. I've never been to a wizarding town before. I was hoping someone could show me around."

"Why not ask Potter?"

"I'm not even sure if he's going. Buffy and Spike haven't convinced Dumbledore on whether or not it's safe for him yet."

"What about the Weasleys or Granger?"

"I think they already made plans," she said, knowing full well that they hadn't. If her plan worked they would all freak out.

Draco stopped and looked at her closely, not daring to hope. "What are you up to Dawn?"

She placed as an innocent look on her face that she could muster and said, "Nothing. I was just hoping for a tour around Hogsmeade."

He hesitated before asking, "Would you like me to show you around?"

Dawn squealed and threw her arms around him. "I thought you'd never ask! Meet me outside the tower at nine tomorrow." Then she practically skipped down the hall.

Draco stood there with an astonished look on his face. _First I get a date with her, then a hug? This turned out to be a better night than I thought it would_. He then headed off to his house with a little spring in his step and his hopes soaring.


	20. Hogsmeade

Chapter Nineteen

Hogsmeade

Dawn was putting the finishing touches on her make-up the next morning when there was a knock at her door. She called out a quick, "Come in," and began applying her lipstick.

"Are you ready to go?" She heard Ginny ask.

"Actually, I'm going with someone else today, Gin. I hope you guys don't mind."

"It wouldn't happen to be a certain blond Slytherin now would it?" Ginny asked as she sat on the bed.

"Yes, it is." Dawn said laughing. "Is Harry allowed to go yet?"

"I think so," Ginny said hopefully.

Dawn looked at her sharply and stated, "You still like him."

Ginny felt a light blush creep onto her cheeks. "Kind of."

"What do you mean kind of? You either do or you don't."

"I do, but I know it's hopeless. He'll forever see me as little Ginny, Ron's baby sister."

"Never give up hope. Spike loved Buffy from afar for years until she finally came to her senses and look at them now."

"If you say so."

"Of course I say so." Dawn gave herself a final look over in the mirror then grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her toward the door. "Don't worry. I'll come up with a plan that will cause Harry to fall head over heals for you."

"But what if he only likes me cause he can't have you?" Ginny asked fearfully.

Dawn stopped in the doorway and looked Ginny in the eye. "Once I devise a plan and put it in action, he'll be saying Dawn who. Got it?"

"Got it," Ginny replied uncertainly.

"Now, I have to continue my own plan of getting a man," Dawn said eagerly.

"He'll never know what hit him," Ginny giggled.

They were still giggling as they exited the Tower.

"What's so funny?"  
"Nothing Draco. Ginny was just telling me a funny story about Ron," Dawn said between giggles.

The blond just quirked an eyebrow that clearly said he didn't believe her, but dropped the subject. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there, Gin."

"Have fun," Ginny said with a smirk.

Dawn shot her a look that clearly told her to shut up then cheerfully took Draco's arm. He gave her a strange look then began leading her down the hallway. They soon made it to where the rest of the students were waiting for the carriages to carry them around the lake.

They drifted over to Buffy and Spike. "So, did you convince Dumbledore?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. Took forever to talk Albus into it. I know he's worried about the kid, but he can't protect him forever." Spike replied. "We just have to accompany Harry everywhere."

Dawn felt a tug on her arm and then Draco whispered in her ear. "Since Potter's going, I guess you don't need me."

He began to pull away and Dawn tightened her grip on his arm to stop him. "I'm already with who I want to be," she said, then flashed him a dazzling smile.

Draco swore he could feel his heart beating in his throat. _Was she really choosing him over Saint Potter? _He couldn't say anything, only stare at her in amazement.

She laughed and pulled him toward an empty carriage that had arrived without him noticing. They had just gotten seated next to each other when Ginny and Hermione climbed in and sat opposite of them.

"Aren't you suppose to be with Potter and the other Weasley?"

"Harry has to ride with Buffy and Spike and Ron decided to accompany them. Therefore we had to choose a different carriage. Merlin only knows why Ginny chose this one." Hermione replied in a slightly condescending tone.

Dawn, in the mean time, had been sending Ginny looks that clearly told her to behave herself. The redhead just smirked back at her and turned to Draco.

"So Malfoy. Where are you planning to take Dawn today?" She asked in a voice oozing with politeness.

He looked at her suspiciously and slowly said, "don't know. Haven't really decided."

Ginny feigned an innocent look. "Surely you'll take her to Three Broomsticks and buy her a butterbeer."  
"The thought crossed my mind," he said even slower than his last statement. He was trying very hard to figure out where she was going with all this. This had been the most the girl had ever said to him at one time.

By this time Hermione was giving them both queer looks, especially Ginny. She looked over at Dawn to see if she was just as confused but saw that her face had turned a deep red. Comprehension began to emerge in Hermione's mind.

"Oh, and you have to make sure that you take her to Honeydukes! Cause girls just love candy," Ginny was gushing.

Hermione was finding it hard not to laugh at everyone's expressions. Ginny was a picture of sweet innocence that Draco looked suitably suspicious about. And Dawn. Poor Dawn looked like she was about to suffer an apoplexy. The bushy haired brunette decided to take pity on her fellow Gryffindor and placed a hand on Ginny's arm to signal her to stop.

Ginny flashed a smile that could have rivaled Dawn's from earlier and finished by saying, "I bet you two will have a _lot_ of fun together today. Maybe we'll see you around."

Dawn sent her a look that clearly said not if I can help it. 

Before long Dawn's face returned to it's natural color and she regained her voice. "So what do you guys have planned today?" She asked.

"I need to pick up some things at Dervish and Banges for a class," Hermione said.

"Ron and I are going to stop in Zonko's Joke Shop to see Fred and George," Ginny said excitedly.

About that time the carriage came to a stop at the edge of Hogsmeade and they all climbed out.

Ginny and Hermione began looking for Harry and Ron when Dawn said, "See you guys around!" Then she and Draco headed down the street.

Again Dawn slipped her arm into Draco's and asked, "So where to first?"

Draco knew that Dawn was oblivious to the stares they were receiving, but he keenly felt them. He knew everyone was trying to figure out why he, a Malfoy, was willingly spending time with a mudblood. But he knew the reason why, because he loved her. Not that he was ready to admit that to her or anyone else. She didn't see his fortune, past, or prestige. What she saw was him now and what he could possibly become. She was giving him the opportunity to show her the real him, not the façade he had created.

He suddenly gave her a true smile and said, "Let's just wander and stop wherever you would like."

Dawn felt a warm tingle in her stomach as she was graced with one of his rare smiles. "Then let's start with Three Broomsticks since it's first and I'm a little thirsty."

They quickly entered and took a small booth in the corner. Draco went to the bar and soon came back with a butterbeer for each of them.

"You didn't have to do that," Dawn said.

"Yeah I did," Draco said shyly.

The two suddenly found themselves alone together and realized that neither had a good idea of how to start a conversation. Most of their time spent around each other had been during classes, training, or scooby meetings. They knew so little of each other that they didn't know where to begin.

Dawn began to think that maybe she should have at least brought someone else along so that the conversation could at least begin. Little did she know that Draco was thinking along the same lines.

"So what was it like growing up as a muggle?" Draco suddenly asked.

She looked at him in amazement. "Well, considering most of my memories are fake..."

Draco winced, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."  
The brunette gave him a gentle smile, "No, it's all right. I don't mind." She began to tell him about growing up in L.A., and moving to Sunnydale. By that time they had finished their butterbeers and were again walking down the street. "After that it wasn't really a muggle life. After all it was the hellmouth."

"Hellmouth?"

"Oh my god! None of us told you! Sunnydale sits over the hellmouth, which is literally what it is. All sorts of demons are attracted to it and are always trying to open it. It's one of the reasons Buffy ended up there; it was where she was needed."

Draco found himself at a loss. No wonder she was used to defending herself, she had been surrounded by demons for the past seven years of her life. "So how long have you been fighting demons?" He asked as they entered Honeydukes.

"Just the past couple of years. Buffy wouldn't let me at first cause she was worried about me getting hurt, but she eventually realized that she wasn't going to be able to protect me forever."

The conversation soon switched to all the candies she found inside the shop. She couldn't help be gawk at all the different sweets she found. When Draco was finally able to drag her out of the store she had nearly bought one of everything.

After Dawn had talked about her past, conversation suddenly became easy for the both of them. They talked animatedly about nearly everything as they slowly walked through Hogsmeade, occasionally stopping into certain shops along the way.

They had just stepped out of Gladrags Wizardwear and were heading back to Three Broomsticks when the pleasantness of the day ended. If either of them had seen Pansy approaching them, they could have avoided it.

In her whiny voice she called out so everyone around them could hear. "So why are you talking with that mudblood, Drakie?"

Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously, no one would insult his angel and get away with it. "I suggest you apologize to Dawn now," he said menacingly.

"Why would I do that? She ain't worth it."

A large crowd began to gather around them anticipating a fight.

Before Draco could retort he heard Dawn in his head, ~Be careful Draco. She's trying to goad you into something.~ 

He turned to Dawn with wide eyes but didn't say anything. He returned his attention to Pansy. "This isn't about her is it?" The blond said, suddenly figuring it out.

"We heard how you turned against your father. It's bad enough that you disobey him, but to associate with this trash, you've really sunk to a new level."

Draco guessed his father had heard about his betrayal. "I don't think it's any of your business about my relationship with my father, Parkinson. Nor the one with Dawn. But I'll be damned if I let you insult her again." He stepped up to her and glared down at her. He was inwardly thrilled to see her shrink back a little. "I suggest you apologize now."

"She hardly significant," Dawn said nonchalantly. "Barely a blip on my radar. She speaks and all I hear is an annoying buzzing sound."

Draco smirked. "She is rather inconsequential, isn't she." Dawn's voice had calmed him somewhat and he was enjoying Pansy's indignant look.

Buffy and Spike, who just noticed the growing crowd as they stepped out of a nearby store, began to approach. They exchanged looks that clearly said whatever was going on couldn't be good. With their attention away from Harry for that brief moment gave the lurking demons in the alley the chance they had been waiting for.

Suddenly the street erupted into chaos as a ten D'gathi demons came running out of the alley and one of them tackled Harry. All of the Slytherins who had previously surrounded Dawn and Draco made hasty retreats leaving the Gryffindors and a sole Slytherin with the demons.

Buffy and Spike began making their way towards the one on top of Harry. The poor demon, however, had not planned on his victim being capable of fighting back. Harry was able to flip the large demon off of him and quickly got back on his feet. He was finally able to get a good look at the thing that attacked him and found himself disgusted by what he saw. The demon's skin was ink black with pupil-less white eyes staring out of a heavily tentacled face. 

Struggling to keep his lunch in his stomach, he ducked a cumbersome swing and placed a strong kick to its stomach. He searched frantically for a weakness when he saw Buffy out of the corner of his eye break the neck of another one. Being more agile than the demon he was facing he ducked several more swings and finally found himself in position. He jumped on the demon's back, got a firm grip on its head, then twisted. What he didn't think to brace himself for was how quickly the demon dropped. He soon found himself stuck underneath it and no leverage to throw it off of himself. He sighed and resigned himself to waiting.

Dawn and Draco, in the meantime, had taken on three of the demons on their own. The two were keenly aware of where the other was at all times and seemed to move as one. When Draco, following Buffy's lead, had killed one demon had heard in his head, ~Good Draco, but don't get cocky.~ 

He had to admit, hearing Dawn like that was a little freaky and he was going to make damn sure he asked her about it when this was over.

The blond looked over at her in time to see her drop the last demon. They all began to look around, but it was Ginny who asked, "Where's Harry?"

They heard a muffled cry and followed it to one of the demons. Buffy quickly moved it to reveal a thankful Harry. "About time, another minute under there and I was going to loose my lunch!"


	21. Being Nice

Chapter Twenty

Being Nice

Buffy and Spike checked everyone over for major injuries. Luckily for them, the D'gathi demons were inept fighters and Harry was the only one with any scratches. And he had only received them when the one he killed had fallen on him.

After a quick conversation, Buffy began to lead them back to Hogwarts. Spike stayed behind to see if he could learn anything about the demons. When they reached the spot where the carriages had dropped them off, they were surprised to see two already there waiting for them.

The slayer shook her head, she knew Dumbledore had already learned what had happened and was going to be waiting for them when they returned. She pulled Dawn into the carriage with her, Harry, and Ron, which left Draco to ride alone with Ginny and Hermione.

He felt distinctly uncomfortable being alone with them and directed his focus to the passing scenery. The thought of Dawn talking to him in his head floated to the surface and he wondered how it was possible. The gift of telepathy was rare and he wasn't even sure if that was what it was. Her thoughts seemed to be the product of something deeper, more profound. 

The blond flicked his gaze over to the two girls and noticed that their faces were pale and tight. Remembering that Dawn told him that others would be nice to him if he was nice to them prompted him to ask, "You two all right?"

Hermione gave him a funny look but didn't say anything. Ginny however gave him a small smile and softly said, "I will be. You don't exactly plan to have to fight a demon during a day of leisure shopping."

Draco snorted, "Ain't that the truth. But you fought well, you didn't let them keep you off balance."

Hermione looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Why would you care?"

He leveled his gaze to her and said simply, "Because I just do." Then turned his attention back to the passing countryside.

Ginny looked at him and suddenly began to see what Dawn saw. A young man trying vainly to find his own place in the world around him. The fact that he even asked about them, his sworn enemies, showed how much he had changed in past couple of months. She also knew that Dawn would be the one to help him.

******

The talk with Dumbledore went surprisingly quick and he seemed rather pleased that the students had been able to defend themselves. He also gave Draco a knowing look that told him that he had chosen well on which side to fight for.

As they filed out of his office Draco gave a gentle tug on Dawn's arm to let her know that he wanted to talk to her privately. She gave him a nod and he led her to the same room that Spike had found him in several weeks earlier. 

"So what's up?" She asked curiously.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Talk to me in my head."

Dawn looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "When did I do that?"

"Today. First you told me to be careful with Pansy that she was trying to goad me into something. Then during the fight you told me not to get cocky."

The brunette's eyes widened, "You heard that?"

"Yeah. Isn't that what I've been trying to tell you? How did you do that?"

"I honestly don't know. I was just thinking them, I didn't try to project them or anything."

"You can do that?"

"No, but I know that Willow and Tara do it all the time. They can talk to us and hear our thoughts, but I've never been able to send my thoughts to them by myself."

"What about you and Ginny? You guys play as if you're connected."

"Actually it's a secret about how we do that, but we don't talk telepathically."

"So it's just me then?" Draco asked, trying to figure something out in his head. "Try it again. Just think of anything and try to send it to me."

Dawn just shrugged her shoulders, "All right, whatever." She thought for a moment on what to send him, then an evil thought crossed her mind. ~Harry's the world's best seeker.~

"He bloody well is not!" Draco yelled.

She just giggled.

~Very funny, little girl.~

"I am not little!" Dawn yelled with an indignant look on her face. Then her eyes widened as she realized what had happened. "So we can talk to each other," she whispered.

Draco nodded. "The only question is why can we do it?"

Dawn didn't want to say anything, but she had an idea. She had a strong feeling it had something to do with what was coming. Another notion popped in her head, if she could talk to Draco, then she could probably talk to Buffy the same way. It was not something she wanted to try at the moment, one problem at a time.

"We should probably tell your sister."

"Not yet."  
"Why?"  
"She has enough things to worry about with Harry. Why don't we research this on our own, and not tell anyone else."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Dawn nodded, making plans in her head.

Draco gazed at her softly and finally gathered the courage to ask her something that he had tried to find a way to do all day. "Dawn..."

She looked at him and felt her heart quicken at the emotions that swam in his gray eyes. "Yes?"

"I was wondering, would you accompany me to the Halloween party on Tuesday?" He asked quietly. 

A huge smile broke out on Dawn's face as she said, "I'd love to." Then she threw her arms around him.

Draco eagerly returned the hug, savoring the feel of her in his arms. But to him it ended way too soon when she pulled back and said, "I've got to go tell Gin." Then she ran out of the room only to return a few moments later. She went to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran back out, leaving Draco with a surprised, but happy expression on his face.

*********

"I don't get it," Harry said as he paced in the Gryffindor common room.

"Get what?" Ron asked.

"Why Dawn spent all day with Malfoy! They walked around arm in arm the whole time! And he hovered over her during that meeting with Dumbledore."  
"Why shouldn't she spend time with him?" Ginny asked innocently.

Harry spun on her, "Because he's the enemy that's why! Just because he's fooled Buffy and Spike doesn't mean that I can't tell he's up to something."  
Ginny stood on her feet and got in his face. "Why won't you give him a chance? He's not the enemy, you-know-who is!"

He could only stare at her in amazement. Why was she suddenly defending the ferret? 

Dawn burst into the room at that time and grabbed Ginny's arm, leading her upstairs. "We need to talk now," she said excitedly as they left the room.

The other three looked at each other as if to say what was that all about?

"What happened?" Ginny asked as Dawn shut the door to her room.

"He asked me to go with him on Halloween!" Dawn squealed.

Ginny squealed with her and they began to dance around the room. "That is so awesome, Dawn!" Then she got a wicked smile on her face, "So what did you say?"

Dawn threw a pillow at her, "Yes, of course." A pillow fight erupted and that's how Hermione found them a few minutes later. A stray pillow got her in the stomach as she walked into the room.

"Sorry 'Mione!" Ginny called as she took a flying leap towards Dawn and tackled her.

"Stop! Ginny stop! I give!" Dawn yelled as the redhead tickled her mercilessly.

The bushy haired brunette just stared at them with a thoughtful expression on her face. She hadn't realized that the two had become such good friends over the past several months. She was getting the impression that something good had happened, but didn't have the faintest idea what it was.

"So what's the good news?" She asked.

Ginny had finally stopped tickling Dawn and the brunette lay gasping on the floor. "Not much," she managed to get out.

"Draco asked her out!" Ginny said excitedly.

Hermione could only stare in amazement. She had gotten a sneaky suspicion that Dawn liked Malfoy from the exchange in the carriage earlier that day. But she had no clue the he liked her in return. The Slytherin must really be sincere about changing if he was asking out someone who he originally would have considered beneath him. "And this is good?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course it is." Ginny answered. "Dawn has set the bait and is now reeling him in."

"Ginny!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Well isn't that what you did?" She asked in mock innocence.

"Well, yeah. But that's just a rude way of putting it."

"And you're ok with this Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be? Besides why would my opinion matter? This is Dawn's decision not mine."  
"Yeah, but it's Malfoy."

"His name is Draco," Dawn said. "God, do any of you people use first names?"

Hermione looked like she was about to protest, but Dawn cut her off. "Look, I like Draco, a lot. And I believe that he likes me. If we choose to date it will be our decision. Nothing you, or anybody else can say will change that. If it bugs you too much, then don't hang around me. It's that simple."

"I wasn't going to say anything about that. I was going to say I thought you liked Harry."

"I do," Dawn said. "But he's more like a brother than anything else."  
Hermione nodded her head in understanding; she felt the same way toward him.

Dawn turned her attention to Ginny. "I have a plan."

"Already?"

"Yup. And I think we're going to need Hermione and Draco's help."

"Plan? For what?" Hermione asked.

Dawn turned to her and said with a wicked glint in her eyes, "The snare to trap Harry for Ginny, of course."

*********

"What do you think they're talking about up there?" Ron asked he studied the chess game in front of him.

"Us probably," Harry answered.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, that or make-up. Or hair. Or whatever it is that girls talk about."

"You gonna ask Dawn to Halloween?" Ron asked after a few moments.

"Nah, we'll all go together anyway, so what's the point?" Harry said as he moved his knight.

"You thought the same about today, and look what happened." Ron pointed out.

Harry just looked at him with a horrified expression.


	22. Halloween

Chapter Twenty-One

Halloween

"Absolutely not! Not a chance in bloody hell!"

"Please Draco," Dawn said sweetly as she batted her eyelashes at him. After she talked with Ginny and Hermione the night before and filled them in on their responsibilities, she had set out the next morning to find Draco and pull him into her plan. They were again in the little room from the previous day.

Draco turned away so he couldn't see her pout. He had a feeling if he didn't he wouldn't last long. "No! Why would I care about Potter?"

~Pretty please with sugar on top.~

"That's not fair!"  
~For me.~

The blond could tell that he wasn't going to win this battle and decided to go down with dignity before it got any worse. He sighed, "What do you want me to do?"

"Oh goodie!" Dawn squealed.

********

That same evening the five Gryffindors were leaving the Great Hall after dinner. Harry walked up next to Dawn and said, "Can we talk? Alone?"

"Sure Harry," she said with a smile. They both slowed down so the others could go ahead. Dawn missed the thumbs up sign Ron gave Harry as he passed by.

Harry looked everywhere but at the beautiful brunette beside him. He had no idea how to do this. "Umm..."

"Well that's a good start," Dawn said sarcastically. "What's up?"

"IwaswonderingifyouwouldgowithmeonHalloween?"

"What?"

Harry took a deep breath and tried again. "I was wondering if you would go with me on Halloween?"

Dawn got a sad little smile on her face. "That's really sweet of you to ask Harry, but I'm already going with someone else."

"Who? Malfoy?" Harry spat out.

"As a matter of fact, yes Draco."

"Why?"  
"Why what?"

"Why are you going with him? He's a Slytherin."

"So?" Dawn asked. 

"He's the enemy!"

Dawn narrowed her eyes dangerously. "He is not the enemy, Voldemort is. I will never believe that Draco is evil, not until I see a dark mark on his arm."

"What do you see in him?"

"That, is none of your business, but I'll tell you something. I can see more hidden in him than you will ever see, even if you would try to see. That's all you need to know." With that, Dawn turned and hurried to catch the others.

************

Halloween night the girls were gathered in Dawn's room getting ready for the costume party. Dawn and Hermione were making the final touches on Ginny's outfit before they left.

"Are you sure about this?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Trust me Gin. The first step of catching Harry is that he has to stop looking at you like Ron's little sister. This is the perfect way to start that process." Dawn patiently explained.

"I know, I know. I just feel so exposed." The redhead said as she crossed her arms over her exposed midriff. She turned to Hermione. "Do you think this is going to work?"

"Honestly Ginny, I don't really know, but it can't hurt."

"Ginny you're going to be the one everyone remembers tonight. He will notice you, believe me."

"But Dawn!"  
"No buts Gin. You are going to be as merciless in getting Harry as you are on the quidditch field."

"Fine," she said with a pout.

"Well girls. I have to go meet the boys, I'll see you at the party." Hermione said as she did a final check in the mirror. Satisfied with the reflection she gave a little wave and headed out the door.

"I think Hermione was born in the wrong decade," Dawn mused.

"What do you mean?"

"She looks really good in that flapper dress. She almost looks like she stepped out of the twenties. Eerie." Dawn turned back to Ginny and circled her slowly, making sure that everything looked perfect. 

"What?" Ginny asked nervously.

"You look absolutely fabulous. Let's go meet Draco."

"Are you sure he's ok with this?"

"No, but he'll do it anyway."

*******

Draco fidgeted nervously outside the Gryffindor Tower waiting for the girls. He kept asking himself how he got talked into this in the first place. Not only was his costume ridiculous, but he was also escorting the Weasley girl along with Dawn. And things just got worse as he noticed the famous trio exiting the tower.

"Looking good Granger."

"Thanks Malfoy," she replied.

The other two looked at her as if she were mad before turning their attention to their adversary. "Keep your filthy eyes off her," Ron snarled.

Draco just smirked, "Whatever Weasel. I was just paying her a compliment, since I know you would never notice how good she looks." He inwardly delighted at the indignant look that crossed the redhead's face.

"I'll have you bloody well know..."  
"Easy Ron." Harry said, eyeing Draco. "He's just trying to piss you off."  
"No, that's just a bonus," he said casually. "So who are you suppose to be, Potter? Some sort of nancy boy?"

"No, he's Robin Hood." Ron said defensively.

"And you would be Little John?" Draco asked, barely able to contain his laughter.

"Well, yes." Ron said, puffing out his chest a little.

Draco couldn't help it; he laughed out loud, startling the other three. 

"What?" Harry asked.

"You're in tights!" Draco gasped out between bouts of laughter. "You're in bloody tights! You look like a bunch of poncy buggers!"

"Oh, like your costume is any better." Ron retorted. "What's up with all the black and the ponytail?" He asked, indicating the pirate shirt and boots with the accompanying sash and sword.

The blonde's laughter died suddenly and a scowl crossed his face. "It's none of your business."

Hermione, however, couldn't let the opportunity to pass. "He's a character from a muggle movie."

The two boys looked at Draco in disbelief.

"Granger, can't you keep your mouth shut?"

"No, this is much more fun."  
"Which movie?" Harry asked.

"Princess Bride, I think," she answered smugly.

"Granger." Draco growled warningly. "Don't you three have a party to get to?"

Her eyes revealed that she had almost forgotten the plan. "Right. Come on boys, let's go."

"But I have questions for the ferret," Ron protested.

"Aren't you hungry?"

His face brightened at the mention of food. "Right, got to go. Come on Harry."

Harry just shook his head in disbelief as they headed down the hallway.

Draco was again asking himself how he got into this mess when his angel walked through the portrait. He felt his breath catch in his throat. She had charmed her hair to look blond and longer than normal. She wore a beautiful pale blue dress in a style oddly reminiscent of the medieval age. 

As he stood there gawking, he noticed another lovely creature step through the portal. He couldn't help but be amazed by the transformation. Ginny had her hair pulled up into a ponytail on top of her head, which revealed a beautifully detailed face. Her costume, which was done in a brilliant green that complimented her hair, left very little to the imagination. 

"See, I told you that being a genie would leave the boys speechless," Dawn said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Draco shook himself out of his stupor. "Ladies, you look amazing."

"Why thank you, sweet Westley." Dawn said with a little curtsey. "I told you that you would be escorting the two most beautiful girls at the school."  
"You weren't lying," he breathed. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be," Ginny said nervously.

"Relax Weasel. If I noticed you, you'd better believe that Potter will. Unless he's blind along with being a poncy git. Which, by the way, have you seen his costume?"

"No, why?" Dawn asked.

Draco couldn't hide his smile, "Just wait, you'll see."

Ginny just stared at the blond in amazement. She couldn't believe how a true smile transformed his features. Acting out of pure instinct she gave him a big hug.

Startled, Draco tentatively returned the hug. "What was that for?"

She just smiled, "Thank you."  
"For what?"

"For doing this for me," she said shyly.

He just shook his head and offered his arms to the two beautiful creatures in front of him. "Let's go wow the crowd, shall we?"

********

Harry was ranting to Ron about the whole Dawn and Draco fiasco when he noticed that his best friend was no longer paying any attention to him. "Ron, what is it?" He asked seeing the stunned look on the redhead's face.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered.

"What?"

Ron couldn't speak; he just pointed to the doorway behind Harry. 

When he turned, he saw why Ron had been left speechless. In the doorway stood Malfoy, flanked by two visions of heaven. Dawn looked every inch of the regal princess who her costume was patterned after. She had told him all about her favorite movie over the summer and the true love shared by Buttercup and Westley. He felt a surge of jealousy that she chose Malfoy to dress as her counterpart.

But all thoughts of Dawn fled as he glimpsed the redhead on the other side of the Slytherin. There was no hint of her being the youngest of six, but a beautiful young woman who was stepping into her own. She had an emerald green satin top which didn't reach the bottom of her ribcage and had sheer sleeves. The top of her pants hung low on her hips and the legs were the same sheer material of her sleeves.

"I'm gonna kill her," said Ron.

"Who?" Harry asked distractedly.

"Ginny. What was she thinking dressing like that in public? I'll be beating boys off her all night!" Ron fumed, "And she's here with Malfoy!"

Harry just nodded absently, not really hearing Ron's rant. It was then that he noticed Malfoy lean over and whisper something in her ear and heard Ginny's laughter. Anger began to build inside him. How dare that slimy git talk to her! How dare he enter in here with her on his arm. He got ready to storm over there and pull her away when he saw Hermione approach.

She had seen the look in Harry's eye and knew that Dawn's plan was working. It was time that she played her part. "I see the girls have arrived with their date," she said casually.

"Their date!" Harry nearly yelled.

"Well yes. Dawn had told Draco that Ginny didn't want to go without a date so he asked her to go with him also."  
"But he asked Dawn."  
"Yeah, so?"

"But, but, but..."  
"That's a good reason Harry. Way to think that one through," Hermione said sarcastically. 

"If she wanted a date, why didn't she say anything to us?" Harry asked unhappily.

"Don't know. Maybe she didn't want you to think she was desperate and ask her out of pity"

"But she was desperate enough to go with Malfoy! He probably only asked her out of pity."

"I don't think so. I think he kind of likes her," Hermione said.

Harry's eyes widened but didn't say anything. He just watched helplessly as Ginny, Dawn, and Draco began dancing together. He hated to admit it, but it looked like the redhead was actually having fun with his enemy. When did things get so out of hand? The girl who had a crush on him since she was eleven had suddenly turned into a young woman who was on a date with his rival. How did this bloody happen?

Ginny was overwhelmed by all the attention she was receiving. Suddenly she was swamped with boys wanting to dance with her. Knowing her part of the plan she said yes to as many as she could and kept her attention firmly away from Harry. 

She began to understand what Dawn had been telling her over the past couple of days. That she had been perpetuating her image of being Ron's little sister and in order for others to see her differently, she had to see herself differently first. She hadn't really believed the brunette either when she had told her how beautiful she actually was. But if even Draco could see it, then maybe it was true.

Dawn chanced a glance over at Harry and saw his jealous gaze follow Ginny. A sly smile graced her lips as she watched him mentally berate himself and a slow song began to play.

~Draco, go ask Ginny to dance.~

~What if I wanted to dance with you?~

~Too bad. Just make sure that you guys look friendly with each other.~

~Shouldn't be too hard, she's actually kind of likable.~

Dawn just rolled her eyes, ~You're too kind.~

He smirked and went over to Ginny. "I wish to dance."

She flashed him a smile and said, "Wish granted."

He easily pulled her into his arms and began dancing. "So how has your evening been?" He asked. "Haven't seen you for a while."

She blushed and said, "It's been great. For some reason all these boys keep asking me to dance."

"Just because Potter's too much of a git to see you doesn't mean others are blind. I can't believe I'm actually about to say this, but you really are quite beautiful."

She began to think that he would never stop amazing her. A Malfoy was giving her, a Weasley, a compliment. Would wonders never cease? All she could do was smile back and say, "Dawn was right."  
"About what?"  
"There's more to you than what meets the eye."

Before he could say anything Pansy 'accidentally' bumped into them.

"Oops, sorry Drakie. Stooping even lower by dressing as a muggle and dancing with a Weasley. Wait 'til your father hears of this."

Draco's body tensed at the mention of his father. "I seriously doubt that he would care Pansy. Now why don't you run along and join the rest of the sheep."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, but she walked away.

Spike and Buffy noticed the brief confrontation from across the room. 

"Things are only going to get worse for him," Buffy said sadly.

"He's strong. Plus he has us to support him," Spike said as he put his arm around her.

"He has Dawn, and it seems Ginny is also in his corner," Buffy added.

"Have you seen demon-girl lately?" Spike asked suddenly.

"No. She's been acting kind of funny, always disappearing," Buffy said thoughtfully.

"Who has?" Xander asked as he came up to them.

"Anya," Buffy answered.

"I saw her talking to that scary professor guy earlier," Xander supplied.

"Were they arguing? Cause that's all they seem to do," Buffy said.

"Don't know, didn't really pay attention." Xander said as he wandered off.

Buffy and Spike just shrugged and turned their attention back to the students in front of them.

The two warriors were not the only ones watching the unusual pair on the dance floor. Harry sat miserably in a corner staring at them. Nothing Ron or Hermione did or said could move him from his position. He couldn't figure out why Ginny had spent the entire evening in the company of others, and mostly in Draco and Dawn's company. She hadn't even come over to talk to him all night! 

To top it off she had danced with the slimy git as if they were best of friends. When the hell had that happened. Whatever he was saying to her it made her blush and laugh. That right should only belong to him!

What was he thinking? This is Ron's little sister he was thinking about. But as he looked at her, she obviously wasn't little anymore.

"You know, you could just ask her to dance," a voice whispered in his ear.

He jumped and turned to see Dawn smiling at him. "What?"

"Ginny. Ask her to dance."  
"Why would I do that?" Harry asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Because I know you want to," Dawn said laughing. She gave him a gentle push in Ginny's direction then walked away.

He could hear the last dance being called and decided that Dawn was right. He located the redhead's location and started walking towards her. But before he could reach her, Seamus had pulled her out onto the dance floor. All Harry could do was stand and watch his last chance of the evening go down the tubes. Without saying a word he turned and walked out of the hall.

"Damn."

"Dawn! Such language," Draco said in mock seriousness.

"No, Harry just left without talking to Ginny."

Draco twirled them around looking for the girl in question. "No wonder, she's dancing with Finnegan."

"Crap, crap, crap!"

"Listen, will you stop worrying. I'd like to enjoy this last dance with you if you don't mind."

Dawn looked up and looked as if she were about to protest, but smiled instead. She let herself melt into his arms and placed her head on his shoulder.

Draco smiled to himself and held onto her tightly. He thought that if he died right then, he would die happy. She felt so right inside his arms, as if she was meant to be there. The world faded into the background and all that existed was him and the angel in his arms. He rested his cheek lightly on top of her head and closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

The song ended and they reluctantly pulled apart and began looking for Ginny. Dawn saw her first and the redhead indicated that the two could leave without her.

"Looks like Ginny found a friend," Draco whispered in her ear.

Dawn turned to him in surprise, "You used her first name."

"Why wouldn't I? She's practically a friend," he said with a smile.

With a smile of her own, Dawn took his arm and they walked out the hall. They took their time walking back to the Gryffindor Tower wanting to make the night last as long as possible. They talked and laughed the entire way there.

When they finally reached the portrait of the fat lady, the corridor was thankfully empty and quiet. Dawn stopped and leaned her back against the wall next to the painting. "Well, I had a good time tonight."

Draco moved to stand in front of her, "Me too."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Dawn looked up into his gray eyes and nearly gasped at the amount of emotion she saw swimming in them. She nervously watched him step in closer and lean in to meet his lips with hers. It was a soft kiss, tender and wary as first kisses tended to be, but it sent tingles down her spine. She reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck to pull him closer.

Heaven, she tasted of pure heaven as he wrapped his own arms around her waist and held her tight to him. He groaned when he felt her tongue dart out inviting him in. He deepened the kiss until he had to break so they both could breath.

"Well...um...yeah," Dawn said breathlessly. "I think I should get inside, got class in the morning. See you tomorrow?" 

Draco could only nod, not trusting his voice to be able to speak.

Dawn reached up and kissed him gently on the lips again before slipping out of his embrace and into the tower.

"I think she likes you," said the fat lady.

"You know what? I think you're right," Draco said happily. He then turned to go to his own room whistling a happy tune.


	23. Research

Chapter Twenty-Two

Research

Willow and Tara were giggling as they headed back to their room. They had dressed similarly that evening by wearing fads from the fifties, complete with poodle skirts and bouffont hair-dos.

"Can you believe Ron and Harry's costume?" Willow asked between giggles.

"I don't know what possessed them to wear tights. Honestly, you would think sixteen year old boys would be too embarrassed to even think about dressing like that!" Tara replied, fighting to keep her laughter at bay.

"I couldn't talk to them all night, every time I saw them I kept hearing that song from the Mel Brooks movie. _We're men, we're men in tights._"

"_Tight tights!_" Tara squealed out.

The two erupted into giggles again as they neared the portrait hiding the door to their section of the castle.

"Slayerettes," Willow said between giggles. The portrait swung open and the two entered while trying to catch their breath.

"Hi Mr. Giles," Tara said as she finally started to calm down.

"Giles, why didn't you go to the party?"

"Because I was researching. Which is something that all of you should have been concentrating on these past several days instead of playing."  
Willow looked a little hurt by the outburst and said, "Gees Giles. Why not tell us how you really feel."

"I'm sorry Willow. It's just that Doyle had told Dawn to be ready and I want to make sure that we are."

"Well in all fairness, you did say that we would start after Halloween. We'll just dig in starting tomorrow."

"Which reminds me. I would like to have a meeting with everyone tomorrow after training so we can better organize our efforts."  
"Everyone?"

"Yes, everyone. From what I understand Miss Granger knows the library very well and would be a great asset in finding our way around."

*********

The next morning, Dawn had just gotten dressed when there was a knock at her door. She quickly went over to answer it and smiled when she saw Ginny on the other side.

Ginny didn't wait for an invitation, she entered the room and sat on Dawn's bed. The redhead looked up at her friend expectantly, "So, what happened?"

Dawn squealed as she closed the door, "He kissed me!"

"Huh uh?"

The brunette nodded.

"And..." Ginny prodded.

"It was absolutely wonderful," Dawn said as she sat next to her friend on the bed. "But I noticed you were escorted back to the Tower. Anything happen with Seamus?"

Ginny blushed slightly. "No. We're just friends. We had seen you and Draco dancing and I told him that I'd was going to give you two some privacy at the end of your date. Then he offered to walk me back, that's all that happened."

"Uh huh," Dawn said teasingly. "So, are you ready for phase two?"

"I guess so, what's phase two?"

Dawn stood and crossed to her dresser where her make-up was kept. "Now that you have Harry's attention, you need to keep it."  
"How do we know that I have Harry's attention?"

"Because he couldn't keep his eyes off you all night." Dawn replied simply. She began to search through her cosmetics. "We'll have to get Anya to pick up some make-up for you next time she goes out."

"Why do I need make-up?"  
Dawn fought the urge to roll her eyes. "So you don't have to use mine."  
"But, I don't wear any."

"You do now. Trust me, it won't be as elaborate as last night. I'll teach you how to just highlight your features; it won't even look like you're wearing make-up."

"Then why wear it?"

"Think of it as an accessory, or an accent to your outfit. Which reminds me, we have to work on your hair too. We can't do anything about clothes during classes since we're stuck with school uniforms, but we can work on your outfits outside of class."

Ginny just looked at her friend with a bit of trepidation.

******

Ron and Harry were already seated and eating by the time Hermione made it to the Great Hall that morning. "Where's Ginny?" She asked as she sat down across from them.

Ron looked at her curiously, "Isn't she with you? You two usually come down together."

"No, she left earlier. I figured she was already here." She turned to Harry but noticed that his attention was at the door. She looked in that direction to see Ginny and Dawn enter. Out of the corner of her eye she couldn't help but notice that Harry's eyes never left Ginny for a second. She resisted the urge to giggle as Harry glowered when the redhead who had his undivided attention stopped to talk to Seamus, and then even joined him at the table.

Hermione did let a small smile escape though as she noticed how confident her friend seemed. Even if Ginny never gained Harry's attention, the change would be worth it for the youngest Weasley suddenly seemed to blossom in front of their eyes. 

"Hey guys!" Dawn chirped as she sat next to Hermione. "Did everyone have fun last night?"

Ron and Hermione just shrugged their shoulders, while Harry just continued to stare at Ginny. 

An evil smirk crossed her face as she said, "Gin and I had a blast with Draco. He's so much fun."

This time both Hermione and Dawn tried to keep a straight face at the scowls that crossed Ron and Harry's faces. They exchanged knowing looks and began to eat.

~What are you up to over there?~ Draco's voice said.

~Nothing.~ Dawn replied innocently. ~Just giving Harry and Ron a hard time.~

~Oh, well keep it up then.~

Dawn just looked in his direction and rolled her eyes.

********

That evening, the entire group assembled in the scoobies common room for the meeting that Giles had called. After everyone was seated, Giles stood and began passing out pieces of paper.

"These are permission slips to allow you into the restricted section of the library. We are hoping to find information about the key there."

"Why are we researching the key?" Ginny asked.

"Because according to some information we received from a reliable source, something is coming and it will require the power of the key. Therefore, we need to discover all we can so we can be prepared."

"What reliable source?" Harry asked curiously.

"Dawn and Draco can tell you about it later. Everyone needs to spend as much time as they can researching."

"No problem, only where can I find the doughnuts?" Xander asked.

Giles just gave him a withering look. "Spike, did you find out anything about Saturday's attack?"

"Nah, nobody had seen the demons before or anybody suspicious. But whoever sent them knew we were going to be there."

~We should tell them about this telepathy thing now.~

~Please, Draco. Just one thing at a time. Let's find out about the key and then we'll talk about this.~

~Fine, but I just want you to know that I'm not happy about this.~

~I know, but I think this other stuff is more important.~

********

The next several days found the scoobies and the students buried in the library. Madam Pince would only tisk at them as they left very late every night, barely making it out in time for curfew.

It was Hermione who finally found a passage referring to the key in a tome called _Unusual Magical Feats_. "Everyone! I think I've got something!" She called out eagerly.

They all gathered around the table to hear what was written.

Hermione looked down at the passage and began reading aloud. "At the time of the forming of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor came into the possession of a green ball of energy. He claimed it was a key to dimensions and other powers, but he was sending it to an order of monks to protect it." She set the book down. "That's all it says."

"Well a lot of good that does us," Ron said crossly.

Everyone just sat back in their seats with glum looks on their faces. It had been a long week and they were all tired and grumpy. They were just about to resign themselves to more research when Hermione spoke up again.

"I believe that all the headmasters here at Hogwarts kept journals. I'd be willing to bet that Dumbledore would know where to find them."

They all looked at her in surprise.

"How would you know that 'Mione?" Harry asked.

"Simple," she said.

"_Hogwarts: A History_." Ron said with her.

"Isn't it rather odd that the key wasn't mentioned in that book?" Harry asked, knowing that she practically had the book memorized.

"Not necessarily. If it was something that had nothing to do with the school they wouldn't have written about it. This passage only said it was at the time of the founding of the school."

"Well, then we should visit the professor in the morning. I suggest we all get some rest before tomorrow," Giles said as he began cleaning up their papers and books that they had strewn across the tables.

*******

The following morning the group gathered in the scooby common room before heading to Dumbledore's office. As they were walking, Dawn felt a hand slide into hers and she looked up to see Draco next to her. She gave him a small smile and a slight squeeze of her hand.

They soon found themselves standing in front of the griffin statue hiding the staircase to Dumbledore's office. "Shocktarts," Giles stated and the statue moved to allow them upstairs.

"Well what brings all of you here this early on a Saturday morning?" Dumbledore asked when they reached his office.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Godric Gryffindor's journals are, would ya Albus?" Spike asked.

"Yes, but why do you ask?"

"Hermione found a passage claiming that Godric was the one who gave to key to the monks. We're hoping his journals will tell us more."

"Really?" Albus said with some surprise. "Did the book happen to say when this happened? For I fear he kept quite a few journals."

"Around the time Hogwarts was founded," Hermione replied.

"Actually, that was his most prolific time. He kept copious notes about the founding of the school. Just give me a moment to retrieve them." He went up the stairs and disappeared in the stacks.

"Great, more research and still no doughnuts," Xander muttered.

Dumbledore returned several minutes later with a dozen leather bound books of parchment. "Please be gentle with these," he said as he passed them out.

"Thanks Albus. We appreciate this; we'll let you know as soon as we find anything," Spike said as they headed back down the stairs.

Back in the scooby common room, Dawn and Draco picked a secluded corner to snuggle in while they read their respective journals. However, Dawn seemed to half-heartedly flip through the pages.

~What's wrong?~

~Nothing.~

~Don't lie to me, what's wrong?~

~I don't want to talk about it here, not with everybody around.~

~You can tell me this way.~

~No, I'd feel more comfortable if we talked out loud.~

~Let's find a way to take a break later and talk then.~

~O.K.~

The morning passed slowly, as it was difficult to read the handwriting and to sort through the writing style. Dawn had just finished deciphering her copy in time for lunch. She stood and stretched, then headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked absently as she turned a page.

"Lunch, besides, I finished mine."

Buffy just waved a hand in her direction and continued reading. Dawn rolled her eyes and sent a look in Draco's direction. He picked up on it and set his book down and quickly followed her out of the room.

Instead of the Great Hall, they went to what Dawn affectionately called Draco's secret lair. As soon as the door was shut, Draco enveloped her in a hug. Speaking softly into her hair, he asked, "So what's wrong?"

Dawn tried to pull away but her wouldn't let her. She gave up and said, "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of what I might be."

"And what's that?"

"That I might be a massive weapon, here to destroy. You saw what I did to those demons that night. I did it without thinking, it could get worse once I know what I'm capable of!" Dawn began crying into his shoulder. "What if everyone finds out and hates me! What if _you_ hate me?"

Draco pulled back and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Dawn, look at me. Look at me!" When she finally lifted her tear stained face to meet his gaze, he said, "nothing could make me hate you. And who cares what the key was created to do? It's who you are now that counts!" He gently wiped a tear off her cheek. "If you truly thought that the past is all that counted you wouldn't be with me now. And it would mean you misplaced your faith in me if I turned on you now."

She looked into his sincere gray eyes with incredulity. "Do you really mean that?"

"With all my heart," he whispered and then gently kissed her. He slowly pulled away and asked, "Was that all that was worrying you?"

She nodded shakily then pulled him down for another kiss. After they pulled away to breath, he pulled her into another tight hug.

"Let's get something to eat," Draco said as he felt his stomach rumble.

"Yeah, wouldn't want my sister to accuse me of lying," Dawn said with a slight chuckle.

"When this researching is over, remind me to find some time to do some serious snogging."

Dawn began to giggle.

"What?"

"You said snog. That's so British."

"If you haven't noticed lately, I am."

"Still, it sounds so weird." Dawn managed to say between giggles.

All Draco could do was roll his eyes.

********

It was shortly after dinner when Tara called out, "I found it!"

Everyone looked at her expectantly. Draco felt Dawn tense up next to him. He placed a reassuring arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Well," Spike said anxiously.

Tara began reading from the volume in front of her. "The school has been open for one month today when there was a strange occurrence in my office. A blinding white light appeared in my room and two exquisite figures stepped through and then it vanished."

"A portal," Buffy whispered.

"The lady stepped forward and introduced herself as Galadriel and the man accompanying her as Elrond. She told of a great evil stirring in their world and asked me to find a place to protect a powerful ball of energy."  
"Fascinating," Giles said to himself.

"Elrond stepped forward and told that the energy was a key between dimensions and that if it fell into the wrong hands all dimensional barriers could fall and evil would reign. He said that the key needed to be protected until its final transformation. When I asked what he meant, he waved the question aside and Galadriel presented me with a book covered with markings that I had never seen before."  
"A book! I wonder where it is?" Hermione said excitedly.

"Galadriel bade me to hide it so that when the key returned to learn of the past that she could find it. I placed it behind a portrait of a small girl and then Galadriel spoke in a language I had never heard. She asked me to write this down," Tara stopped suddenly.

"What, write what down?" Anya asked.

"I don't know. I've never seen this language before. After that it says that all the key has to do is repeat that to the portrait and her past will be revealed."  
"How did they know the key would be a she?" Hermione mused out loud.

"What?" Giles asked.

"Well, they keep referring to after the key's final transformation as she. How did they know that?"

"Don't know," Willow said. "But I bet the answer is in that book. But first we have to figure out how to pronounce this."

"Let Dawn try," Draco spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him curiously. "She's the key. It's obviously a message for her, let her try."

Giles nodded and pointed to the book, indicating for Dawn to try. She looked nervously at Draco who gave her a smile of encouragement.

She stood and walked slowly over, then peered at the words Tara was pointing to. She found that she could easily read and translate them. "It says, suriënye nyárënya. It means I seek my history."

"How did you know that?" Buffy asked.

Dawn just shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I just do."

Spike couldn't take it anymore. "Who cares how she did it? I bet you that the answers are in that other book. Let's go to Albus and get it."

********

For the second time that day, the group found themselves in Dumbledore's office.

"Are you sure it mentioned this painting?" Dumbledore was asking.

"Yeah, mate. Go ahead Dawn." Spike said gently.

Dawn nervously stepped up to the little girl in the portrait and said, "Suriënye nyárënya." 

The little girl giggled softly and said, "About time someone asked." Then the picture moved to reveal a small opening in the wall. Dawn tentatively reached in and pulled out a dusty book with the following written in gold leaf.

Nerdanal's Tale

"Goodness," Albus said softly. "I never knew that was there."

Everyone could only stare in amazement at the book in Dawn's hands. 

"I suggest waiting until tomorrow to start reading," Albus said softly. "I would like to be present and to have some of the other staff there as well. I think everyone needs a good night's rest before starting on something this momentous."

All but Dawn and Draco began to exit the room. Dumbledore walked over and gently took the book and set it on his desk. "You too dear. Have no fear, it will be here waiting for you in the morning."

Draco took her arm and led her out of the office.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this," Dawn whispered when they reached the hallway.

"Don't worry. I'll be here for you. You won't have to go through this alone."


	24. Nerdanal's Tale

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nerdanal's Tale

The next morning, following breakfast, found the usual group gathered in the scooby common room with the addition of three others. Dumbledore smiled as he handed Dawn the ancient book and then took a seat in one of the chairs.

"What's he doing here?" Xander asked, referring to one of the new attendants of the meeting.

"I was asked, little boy," Snape sneered.

"Hey! I'm not little!"

"That's right," Anya chimed in. "He's anything but!"

The entire scooby group groaned and Xander put a hand over her mouth before she could go into detail.

Dumbledore gave a slight chuckle and said, "I have asked both he and Professor McGonagall to hear the tale. She has the right to know as deputy headmistress, and Professor Snape has knowledge of the death eaters and what this might mean to Voldemort."

Xander didn't look too pleased with the explanation, but didn't argue.

"You're a spy?" Draco asked. He had wondered if it was safe for the death eater to be present during an important meeting, but learning that Dumbledore knew of his status the blond was able to figure it out.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I am. I'm surprised you didn't know."

"No one tells me anything," he grumbled under his breath.

"Whenever you're ready," Giles said to Dawn, hoping to prevent an argument.

Dawn looked hesitantly at Draco who sat next to her on the couch. 

He gave her as a reassuring look as possible. ~I'm right here.~

~Thanks.~ 

She slowly opened the book and looked at the beautiful lettering that only she could decipher. She took a deep breath and began.

Here I, Nerdanal, daughter of Mahtan the smith, write my history so they who go after me shall know the past.

I was born on Middle Earth shortly before Oromë led the calaquendi 

"Calaquendi?" Willow asked.

"I think it's a reference to those who followed, I don't know. I might be able to figure out more later." Dawn answered.

"Who is that Oromë?" Tara asked.

"I'm not sure. Just because I can read this doesn't mean I understand everything." Dawn said exasperatedly. "Can I continue?"

When nobody objected she turned back to the book.

I was born on Middle Earth shortly before Oromë led the calaquendi to Aman to dwell with the Valar under the leadership of Manwë. 

"I think Oromë was one of the Valar, which are kind of like minor deities. If I'm reading this right," Dawn explained quickly.

I have no recollections of my birth land from that time, only of my home in Tirien. In that fair city lived the Noldor, the Eldar who were most learned in smith skills for we were taught by Aulë himself.

"Eldar? Noldor? Aulë?" Tara asked.

"Eldar is their name for their people, the elves. I think Noldor is like a tribe, and that other guy is one of the Valar."

When I was of age I married Fëanor, first son of Finwë, the king of the Noldor. It is true I loved him then for, as me, he burned with a desire to learn. I bore him seven sons and for a time we lived in peace.

"Seven sons," Buffy said with wide eyes. "That had to hurt."

"That was not uncommon in the past. You would know that if you had any sense of history." Snape growled.

Before Buffy could retort, Spike placed a hand on her arm to stop her. He nodded his head in Dawn's direction indicating that Dawn wanted to continue. She settled for a glare at Snape then turned back to Dawn.

Then Manwë released Melkor, the rebellious Vala, from his chains and allowed him to freely walk amongst us. Fëanor learned much from him and soon created the three Simarils, which contained the light of the twin trees. Melkor planted seeds of discourse in my husband and sons. Fëanor spoke against the Valar and sought to free himself and his people from their reign. It was in this that we grew estranged and separated.

In this time of separation, I grew close to my niece Galadriel 

"The woman from Godric's journal!" Hermione called out.

Dawn rolled her eyes, "if you would like, I could read this to myself and then give you each your own written translation if it would let this go faster."

A chorus of sorrys echoed through the group before she continued.

In this time of separation, I grew close to my niece Galadriel and through her gift of sight we saw the eventual exodus of the Noldor. In my heart I grieved, for through my slight ability I saw the need to travel with them. I was to go, not for myself, but for the certainty of the future.

After Melkor stole the Simarils for himself and fled, Fëanor called him Morgoth and vowed to regain that which was his no matter the cost. Thus the majority of the Noldor followed and I in secret accompanied them.

Once again in the place of my birth, I came to reside with King Thingol of the Sindar. His wife, Melian, was of the Maiar 

"Please don't yell at me for asking, but the Maiar?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I think they are kind of like the Valar, but have less power." Dawn replied with a look of concentration before continuing.

His wife, Melian, was of the Maiar and had placed an enchantment around their land preventing trespassing. There I changed my name to Oiolairë, and in secret resided there, hidden from my kin.

Melian taught Galadriel and I her arts and under her tutelage we became wise and strong. She, too, saw what my future entailed and rejoiced and grieved for me at the same time. During our time of learning there past over the land a period of great peace.

But the wrath of Morgoth could not be forestalled indefinitely. With the arrival of Beren and one of the Simarils, Melian could see that precious little time remained. In knowing of what was to come, she began to slowly transfer a portion of her power to me.

Grief fully entered Melian's heart when her beloved husband Thingol was slayed by the Naugrim who deceived him. Before she left for Aman, she poured what power she could spare into me. She changed my name again to 

Dawn paused.

"To what?" Ginny asked.

Dawn shook herself out of her surprise and then said, 

To Amaurëa, saying it would serve me better. Then she bid Galadriel and I to flee Beleriand to lands farther west, for it was no longer safe to remain. She then vanished, never to be seen again.

As the Sindar and Noldor began to lose hope as Morgoth systematically overtook them, Eärendil, descendant of Fëanor's brother, traveled to Valinor and made an appeal to Manwë, who was moved to pity. He, the Valar, and a host of calaquendi crossed the sea and smote Morgoth. They locked him in the void, never to trouble the people of Middle Earth again.

The Eldar were again entreated to cross the seas and dwell in the undying lands. While some consented, others, like Galadriel, and myself remained.

"I think calaquendi refers to the elves that followed the Valar over the seas. Cause there were elves left behind, and they only use that term for the ones that lived with the Valar." Dawn said thoughtfully, before continuing.

In this time of peace, Galadriel and I have perceived that the time has come for my next transformation. She has promised to continue my tale so those who come seeking answers will find them.

"The handwriting changes," Dawn said as she read slightly ahead. "I think this is Galadriel's."

And so Elrond and I joined our powers of the rings to permit Amaurëa's transformation. After several long hours of chanting she was no more an Eldar, but a key to dimensions. Long had we known of worlds other than our own and we desired to learn from them. Centuries past and we benefited greatly from our careful use of the key.

"Wow, you used to be an elf." Willow said in wonder.

"Like a house-elf?" Ron asked.

"No. Remember Godric referred to them as exquisite. I'm thinking they would have resembled humans more," Tara pointed out.

"Can I finish? There's not much left of the beginning," Dawn said.

"Go ahead, Bit. We'll be quiet."

But not all evil had been destroyed as we had hoped. One of Morgoth's followers, Sauron the deceiver, had survived. He had forged a ring to rule over others. Lord Elrond and I know the key is no longer safe in our world. We are now preparing our final use of the key. I have foreseen in which world the key is needed and who will provide protection.

Dawn stopped again as she read the next paragraph. Her face went deathly pale and the book slid from her hands. She suddenly stood and said, "I can't do this." Then ran from the room.

"Dear me, the poor child. This must really come as a shock for her," McGonagall said quietly.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry protested as Draco stood.

"I'm going to go talk to her."  
"How do you know where she went?"

"Because Potter, I know her. A hell of a lot better than you do."  
"What's that suppose to mean?"

Draco gave him a suffering look. "She talks to me. I happen to know she was scared to death to read what was in that book. Chances are she found something that did frighten her, so I'm going to talk to her about it."

"What makes you think she'll talk to you?"

"Did anyone else know she was scared?" Draco looked around the room for an answer, but everyone shook their heads no. "See. If she told me she was scared chances are she'll tell me what she read." With that he stormed out of the room.

"I wonder what it was," Dumbledore mused as he crossed the room and picked the book up off the floor. He tried to open the book to look through it himself, but found himself unable to. "Curious. It seems that I was not meant to open it. Would someone else care to try?"

Everyone took a turn, but the book remained stubbornly closed. It seems they would have to wait for Dawn to return.

********

Draco knew exactly where his angel was heading. He entered the room just moments after she herself had arrived.

"Please, just go away," she said with tears falling from her eyes.

"I told you, that you wouldn't have to do this alone. What did the book say?"

"Nothing," she replied as she turned her back to him.

He grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. "That's bullshit! What did it say? You can tell me."

Dawn dropped her eyes to the floor and began wringing her hands. "Galadriel talked directly to me," she said softly.

"What?"

She took a deep breath and said, "She told me not to be afraid. But she called me Dawn, she knew my name!" 

"So? She's a seer, that's really not all that surprising." Draco said, not fully understanding what she was trying to tell him.

"It's not just that," she said hesitantly.

"Then what?"

"There was some sort of prophecy. It mentioned me and two others, a warrior and a wizard."

Draco felt dread creep into his heart. "Oh, must be Potter. He's really the only wizard who would be mentioned in one," he grounded out. He released her, then began to pace the room. Just his luck. He finally gets the girl, but she was destined to be helped by another, his rival no less. So much for being counted.

"It's not him," she said softly.

"Huh?"

"It's not Harry."

"Then Spike."

"No."  
"Then who?"

She looked up at him with sad eyes. "It's you."

"How do you know?"

Dawn turned away from him again. She was so scared to let him in, she didn't want to see his face when she told him. 

But Draco would have none of it. He gently turned her back around to face him. He asked again softly, "How do you know?"

"Cause the wizard holds my heart," she replied so softly that he had to strain to hear her.

"I hold your heart?" He asked disbelievingly.

Dawn began to cry in earnest now. She knew he wasn't going to like this. Hell she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Draco felt hurt that she would cry over this. "What am I not good enough for your love?" He began to slide into old habits, ones that he was trying to forget.

"It's not that."  
"Then what is it?!"

"You were destined to love me. I was afraid that you would be mad that you didn't have a choice in it!" ~It's why we can do this!~

Suddenly he understood. She was scared that he would leave her when he learned that their love was fate. He pulled her into his arms and for the second time in two days, she cried into his shoulder.

"Dawn, I would have cared for you no matter what. You had my attention from the moment I met you. You are a beautiful, intelligent woman that any man would be insane not to be attracted to you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," came the muffled reply.

"Then let's see if this convinces you." 

He pulled back enough to lift her head up. Then his lips descended onto hers. He poured all of the emotions he was feeling into the kiss so she would know exactly how he felt. It shocked him slightly when she began to kiss him back just as passionately. His hand tangled itself into her hair and he pressed her closer to him. When they finally broke they were both gasping for air.

"Have I convinced you yet?"

For an answer she pulled him back down for another searing kiss. The world dropped away and they only thing registering on their senses were each other.

That is, until they heard a voice from the doorway.

"Hate to interrupt, but you really shouldn't suddenly leave like that for a snogging session."

The two guiltily broke apart.

"How long have you been standing there?" Dawn asked nervously.

"Long enough," Spike replied with a smirk. "Ready to come back?"

Dawn shyly nodded.

"Well then, let's get moving."

Draco debated for a second whether it would be safe to hold Dawn's hand or not. One look at Spike's face, he decided to chance it. Spike just nodded approvingly as they headed out the door.

*******

After they settled back down in the scooby common room, Dawn easily opened the book. She was oblivious to the looks she received by doing so. "Sorry about leaving so suddenly. I read something that scared me."  
"It's ok Dawn. But we're here to support you." Buffy said encouragingly.

"Ok. Here it goes, the final paragraph. Please don't interrupt until I'm through."

Have no fear Dawn, descendant of the Noldor. While others may only learn of your destructive powers, you shall unlock everything Nerdanal fought to give you. You will be the one to end their evil reign. Two will stand beside you, the warrior and the wizard. They are your strength and heart, allow them to support you. The rest of the book tells you how to access your powers.

When the time is right, we shall meet again.

Galadriel

Everyone sat in stunned silence. They were trying to digest the last bit that Dawn had read them, when Hermione spoke up.

"That explains it."

"Explains what?" Ron asked.

"How they knew the key would be female. Galadriel obviously saw into the future and learned her name."

"I don't think it was just Galadriel," Dawn said.

"What do you mean?" Snape asked impatiently.

"Would you just calm down, pasty face. This has been a very trying day for her. Not everyone blocks their emotions like you do," Anya retorted.

To everyone's surprise, Snape just sat there and looked expectantly at Dawn.

Dawn just blinked a couple of times before replying. "The name Melian gave to Nerdanal, Amaurëa. In elvish it means dawn. And the other one, Oiolairë, means ever summer. Put them together and you get..."  
"Dawn Summers," Willow said in awe.

"I am curious to discover who the warrior and the wizard are that she referred to." Dumbledore wondered.

"I already know that too," Dawn said softly.

In a seemingly repetitive motion that day, everyone turned in surprise to Dawn.

"It's Buffy and Draco."  
"Impossible!" Harry yelled as he jumped to his feet. "How could he be of any help?"

Dawn narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I suggest you sit back down, Mr. Potter. If you must know, in my dream Doyle had told me about this. He said Buffy was to help and one other. The other one had to share in my love in order for us to win."  
"And you're saying it's Malfoy!"

"Yes," she replied evenly, daring him to challenge her.

Harry wisely shut up at her menacing look.

Draco looked at her in amazement. "You knew that long ago about this? And you're just now telling me?"

Dawn turned stricken eyes to him. "Yes, cause I was afraid it would scare you off. You were facing so many changes at once that I was worried that one more would send you back to Voldemort." She pleaded with him silently with her eyes.

He seemed to contemplate it for several long minutes before slowly nodding. "You were probably right. Still doesn't mean I'm not upset. Everybody's hiding something from me."  
~I'm sorry. Please forgive me.~

~I will, just give me some time to adjust.~

"Well this is an interesting revelation." Dumbledore said as he rose from his seat. "However, it is lunch time and I'm rather hungry. Let's say we meet back here after lunch to discuss all we learned."


	25. Making Plans and Preparations

Chapter Twenty-Four

Making Plans and Preparations

After lunch, the group gathered once more. The atmosphere was more relaxed then the previous one. They all had time to process all the new information and what it meant for the future.

They sat around staring at each other waiting for someone to start talking. The scooby gang kept glancing at Giles, who generally started the meetings. While the watcher kept waiting for Dumbledore to speak since he was the headmaster.

Finally Anya couldn't take the silence anymore and spoke up. "So, Dawn was an elf? Better than a rabbit."

Everyone looked at her.

"What? I might have freaked knowing that."

"A rabbit?" Snape asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They're extremely upsetting. All that twitching and hopping. I don't understand why there's a holiday centering around one entering everyone's homes leaving candy and hiding eggs..."

"Anya!" Giles cried, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, it is creepy when you think about it," she said matter-of-factly.

The entire scooby gang stifled a groan.

"Well," Giles began hastily, hoping to shut Anya up. "It would appear that Dawn should begin to learn to use her other powers."

"I'm confused," Buffy said.

"About what?"

"You said the key was what enabled her to be a wand using witch, right?"

"That's correct," Dumbledore answered.

"Then why does she have other powers? I can understand being able to open portals, But not the other stuff, like how she set those demons on fire."

"That's a very good question, Miss Summers. I believe that the powers Nerdanal had learned and the one given to her by Melian are part of the key. Therefore it is possible to access them separately from the key's other properties. However, the magic is still in her blood, enabling her to use a wand."  
"Huh, makes sense. I guess." Buffy said thoughtfully.

"Severus, is it possible that Voldemort knows about the key?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape furrowed his brow as he sorted through his memories. "I don't think so. If he has, he's never spoken to me about it. It is something he would be greatly interested in if he ever heard about it."

"Then let us assume that he is planning something else, or the threat is coming from somewhere else."

"Tara and I can look and see if there are any prophecies coming up," Willow supplied.

"And how would you be able to do that," Snape sneered. "They don't exactly give you precise dates."

Willow narrowed her eyes and her voice lowered slightly. "Actually, they do, if you know what you're looking for. The last year was pretty slow on the hellmouth, so Tara and I went through and started cataloging the prophecies."  
Snape's eyes widened in surprise.

"That must have been quite a task," McGonagall said. "I wouldn't mind looking through those myself."  
"We haven't gone through everything, but you're welcome to join us." Tara said with a shy smile.

"I'll also contact the council and see if they've heard anything," Giles said.

"Demon-girl and I can use our demon contacts."  
"I'll contact my sources, and Severus can get in touch with his," Dumbledore added.

"What about my training?" Dawn asked quietly.

"Why don't you translate the book, and then Tara and I can help you." Willow said gently.

Dawn nodded her head.

"Then I suggest we all get started," Dumbledore said as he rose from the chair and headed out the door.

*********

Later that afternoon, Dawn was sitting at a table in the corner of the scooby common room when she felt a familiar presence sit next to her. She closed her eyes and leaned over onto Spike's shoulder. He gently put his arm around her waist and lightly kissed the top of her head.

"How you holding up Nibblet?"

"Fine, I guess. This is a lot to take in at once. But seeing as how I'm handling this better than when I found out I was the key, things are ok."  
"Still doesn't change the way we see you, you know."  
"Yeah. We all have our weird little quirks. Mine's just a little weirder than most."

Spike chuckled lightly. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? These past two days have been rather grueling. Go find blondie and do some talking. And I _mean _talking, not snogging. He seemed a little surprised and hurt earlier."

"I know. I'm just giving him some time to cool off and adjust. Then I'll talk to him."

"Sounds reasonable. Don't work too long," he said as he started to stand.

"I won't. I'm almost to a stopping point anyway."  
"Love you, 'Bit."

Dawn looked up at him with a smile, "love you too, Spike."

********

Dawn was looking out the window when Draco entered the little room.

"So how are you doing?" He asked quietly.

"Dealing. You?"

"Dealing."

"Listen Draco, I'm sorry about not telling you what Doyle had said. At the time I wasn't even sure how I felt about you, let alone how you felt about me."

"I understand."  
"And I didn't want you to think that I did it out of pity, cause I didn't."  
"I understand."

"I just wanted..."

"Dawn! I understand."

"You do?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah. I told you to just give me some time. I just tried to see things from your perspective and I understand."  
"Thank god!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around him.

He quickly returned the embrace and buried his face in her hair. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms. He had a feeling that things were about to get hectic and he wanted to make sure he made the most of it.

Dawn shifted slightly so she could snuggle up against him. His thumb started to trace lazy circles on the small of her back. She sighed and snuggled closer.

"So did you read anything interesting?"

"Yeah. Apparently I can control the four elements, air, water, fire, and earth. That's how I killed those demons. I had tapped into fire somehow. I start my training with Willow and Tara on Wednesday."  
Draco inwardly sighed. He just knew things were about to get busy.

"Plus, I think Buffy and Spike want you to do some additional training. Since you're going to be a key player, they want you to be ready."  
"What kind of additional training?" He asked warily.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Dunno. I think it has something to do with combining magic with Buffy's class. Oh! And I think weapons are involved."  
"Weapons are good."  
Dawn just rolled her eyes.

********

The next evening the students had gathered for their daily training session. They chatted easily amongst themselves while they stretched.

Before too long, Buffy and Spike entered the room. They asked everyone to stand and pay attention.

"We're going to do things a little differently for the next month or so," Buffy said. "Hermione and Neville, the two of you are going to start sparring every night."

"As for the rest of you, you'll still be sparring. Only instead of one-on-one, we're going to start focusing on group attacks," Spike said. And then he explained, "You need to learn this style cause the bad guys never fight fairly. They'll try to use numbers to overwhelm you. Much like the D'gathi tried at Hogsmeade."

"You guys need to learn to be aware of everything around you, how to fight like a team, and how to fight off more than one person at a time. Any questions so far?" Buffy asked.

When she got none, she led Hermione and Neville to one side of the room to work with them. That left Spike with the rest of the students.

"Dawn and Draco, I want you two to defend. Ron, Harry, and Ginny you three attack at the same time. Whenever you're ready."

The defenders stood facing away from each other, but with enough space between them so they could still move without hitting each other. The other three circled them slowly trying to figure out the best attack.

Then as one, the three leaped forward and the fight began. Dawn ducked a swing from Ginny and straightened in time to stop a fist from Harry and land a punch of her own. Sensing Draco, she dropped to one knee as he flipped Ron over her. The redhead landed on top of the other two attackers, knocking them into an unceremonious heap on the floor.

"Gerroff!" Ginny cried. "You're squashing me you big oaf!"

Spike laughed and helped Ron up. "Not bad." He turned to Dawn, "How did you know that he would do that?"

"I didn't. I just got this feeling that I should be ducking."

"Huh. Draco, did you know she was right behind you?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't you think Ron would fall on her?"

"No, I knew that she'd move."  
"How?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders, "Just a feeling I got."

Spike raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. But he stopped his mind from wandering before it started, enough time to do that later.

"All right, this time Draco and Ginny defend, the rest attack." Spike then stepped back to watch.

This time the skirmish lasted a little longer. Draco busily defended himself from Dawn and Ron, while Harry had gone after Ginny. Spike couldn't help but notice the ease of the sparring between Dawn and Draco. It kind of reminded him of Buffy and himself.

And so the session continued. Spike would switch the defenders and attackers from time to time. He also gave them small breaks to give them chances to breathe. When the session was over, Spike asked Dawn and Draco to stay behind.

"Do me a favor, spar with no holds barred. Give everything you got, no holding back." Spike said seriously.

"Spike, what's going on?"

"I'm testing a theory, luv."  
"Should I be worried?"  
"Nah. This could be a good thing." He nodded to let them know to start.

The two teens looked at each other and shrugged. They readied themselves, then attacked as one. As Spike asked, they held nothing back.

Draco was worried at first about hitting her too hard. But after she landed a punch that nearly made him see stars, he stopped holding back. Soon neither were landing many punches or kicks, but were blocking them.

"My god," Buffy whispered. "They're dancing."

"My suspicions were right. I could tell earlier this evening that there was a possible connection. I have a feeling that if you fought either one of them, the outcome would be this."

"Why?"

"You three are chosen, there's a connection. Remember Galadriel told her to let you two support her. I think she meant more than just moral support."  
"Think we should train them separately from the others?"

"I think we can have them work after everyone else on the nights she's not with the wiccas, but still train with them."

Buffy just nodded as she watched the pair spar. A wry smile appeared on her lips as she thought, _us Summers gals just can't stay away from the Malfoy boys._


	26. Fires, Fights, and Homework Oh My!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Fire, Fights, and Homework Oh My!

Dawn anxiously sat in the wicca classroom waiting for Willow and Tara to arrive. The thought of learning to access the powers that she had inherited from Nerdanal scared her a little. She knew that elemental magic was tricky and that the wiccas steered away from it.

It was very different from the type of magic she was learning at Hogwarts. Her wand magic was very focused and controlled. But most witches didn't have enough power to truly control the elements. If she wasn't careful she could literally blow up the school.

At least she knew Buffy couldn't yell at her about that since she had done it herself. Twice.

"Ready?" Willow's cheery voice stirred her out of her thoughts.

"I guess."

"Dawn, you're going to need more confidence if you're going to make it work. I read your translation and it said you have to believe it will work in order for it to work."  
The teen fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course she knew that, she had been the one to translate it. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it."

"Now, Tara and I are only here to walk you through the steps and give you things to try. This is unlike anything we've seen, heard, or read of."

"But it seems pretty simple, Dawnie. With as quickly as you picked up using your wand, you should be fine." Tara said with a smile.

Dawn nodded and said, "All right then. How do we start?"

"First, close your eyes and just relax. Take a couple of deep breaths." Willow waited until she had done this before continuing.

"Ordinarily this is where I'd tell you to find your magic center. But that's not how yours works. What you can do isn't exactly magic."

"Then what is it?"

"You think of what you want, build your will, and then say it."

Dawn opened her eyes. "You're kidding right?" Even though she remembered that from her translation, it seemed too easy. There had to be a catch.

"No, I'm not."

Tara pulled out a candle and set it on the table in front of Dawn. "Try lighting it."

Closing her eyes, Dawn thought about the candle and pictured it lit in her head. She searched inside herself and suddenly came across something. She heard Willow and Tara gasp, but she ignored them.

She could feel something build and it seemed as if her skin was tingling. Her image began to slip, but she pulled it back.

Dawn suddenly realized the catch. Balancing the image and her will was tricky. If she concentrated on one, the other began to slip.

"Burn," she said. She opened her eyes and looked hopefully at the candle. But it just sat there, unlit. Her lower lip stuck out, "phooey."

Then she noticed a green haze on her surroundings. Willow and Tara sat across from her with their mouths hanging slightly open. "What?" She asked self-consciously.

"You're glowing," Willow whispered.

The teen looked down at herself, and sure enough a green fire emanated from her. She could still feel her skin tingling.

"I'd say she accessed it," Tara said in awe.

"Then why didn't it work?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe you need to say it in elvish," Tara mused.

"Makes sense," Willow said. "The gift came from your elvish past. It must only respond to that language. Try it again in elvish."  
Dawn nodded and closed her eyes again. She pulled up the image of the candle once more. Concentrating hard, she said, "Ustëa."

There was a hot blast in front of her large enough to knock her backwards out of her chair. She opened her eyes to see the table in front of her on fire and the two wiccas on the floor.

Tara stood quickly and said, "Existinguo." Then the fire died.

"Well," Willow said as she stood, dusting herself off. "I'd say the language needs to be elvish. What do you think?"

"So what the hell happened?!" Dawn yelled. "I was only trying to light the candle, not the whole table!"

"Relax sweetie, you just need to learn control," Tara said gently.

"Relax? Relax! I could have hurt you guys!"

"Honey, that's why we're going to help you with your control."  
"No. I don't want to learn."

"Dawn," Willow said sternly. "You have to learn control, otherwise you might really hurt someone. This is part of who you are, you can't shut it away. It will leak out whether you want it to or not. Remember the forbidden forest?"

The teen reluctantly nodded her head. But where this had merely scared her before, she was now absolutely terrified. She had known this was a volatile form of magic, just not quite this volatile this quickly. But since she truly didn't want to hurt anybody, she was going to have to accede to Willow and Tara's teaching.

"Fine, help me," she whispered sullenly.

*********

The next morning, Dawn was quiet as she stretched before muggle defense. She was so lost in her thoughts that none of her friends could draw her into their conversation, no matter how hard they tried.

~What's wrong?~

She looked up into Draco's gray eyes and saw the concern for her in them. She gave him a small smile. ~Rough night. I'm not sure that Nerdanal really gave me a gift.~

~You'll get it. By the way, Ginny looked a bit worried during breakfast.~

~I'll talk to her later.~

Buffy and Spike then entered the room and everyone got quiet as they waited for them to start class. They both gave Dawn and Draco a quick smile as they headed to the front of the room.

"Today we start sparring," Buffy announced. "I don't want any force behind the punches and kicks yet. Just mark and block them."

A hand went up in the back of the room.

"Yes, Blaise."  
"What do you mean mark?"

"You swing or kick, but you stop before you actually hit anyone," Buffy explained. "I am going to call out your pairings, and no switching of partners."  
The petite blond went quickly through the list and the students grumbled as they found their partners. Buffy had followed Dumbledore's advice and paired them with students from the other house.

Hermione looked warily at her partner Millicent Bulstrode. The last time she had been paired against her was their second year during the dueling club. That had been an absolute disaster. She only hoped no hair pulling would be involved this time.

Ron wasn't particularly happy with Buffy's choice either. He looked over at Goyle with nearly undisguised hatred. Not like the slow-witted Slytherin would have recognized it if he saw it. He glanced over at Harry who seemed fairly calm for someone who was paired with Blaise Zabini. The redhead had heard that she was one tough girl.

Draco and Dawn seemed to be the only ones pleased with their pairing. Of course, this could have to do with the fact that they were paired with each other. They were more experienced than the rest of the class, with the exception of a few Gryffindors, and Buffy just wanted to give them some extra time to work together.

"Remember, don't actually hit each other. This is just to get you used to fists coming at you and to learn to block them. Understand?" After a chorus of yeses. Buffy nodded her head to indicate they could start.

She stopped by Draco and Dawn. "You guys can spar like usual. Just don't get over enthusiastic."

Dawn grinned in reply. "We'll try."

Buffy and Spike began walking through the room stopping to help those who needed it. They would gently correct form or guide students through the motions.

Class was going smoothly until everyone heard Hermione shout from the corner of the room "You're not suppose to actually hit me!"

"You think I care?" Millicent replied. Then the sound of a fist hitting flesh was heard.

"That's it! You asked for it!" Then Hermione swung with all her might and busted her partner's lip. Then she kicked Millicent in the stomach, who doubled over and fell to her knees.

"Way to go 'Mione!" Ron yelled.

Before Millicent could stand, Buffy and Spike had reached them.

"Fifty points from Slytherin for not following directions, and three nights of detention for Miss Bulstrode for attacking another student." Buffy said. She turned her attention to Hermione. "As for you, Miss Granger. I am aware that you were only protecting yourself. However, you also did not follow directions. Twenty points from Gryffindor and one night of detention."  
Hermione just stood there in shock. She hadn't received detention since her first year and she had never been responsible for her house loosing points.

Buffy turned to address the class. "Fighting back isn't always the correct response. It should only be used as a last resort. I want two feet on ways to avoid a fight due next Monday. Class dismissed."

The students could only stand there in mute horror and watch Buffy and Spike leave the room. She had never assigned homework before. The entire class, including the Slytherins, gave Millicent the evil eye.

*******

Ron couldn't help but grin like a fool during potions class. Hermione never ceased to surprise him. He felt his heart expand in his chest, he was so proud of her for defending herself. He was sure that the story would spread through the whole school by the end of the day. Most students would now think twice before offending _his_ Hermione.

He looked over at the object of his affection. His smile faltered as he saw her troubled expression. The redhead hoped she wasn't still upset over receiving detention. He was sure Buffy wasn't too upset with her, she probably just didn't want to show favoritism.

Merlin, she was still beautiful to him though. To him, nothing could mar her perfection. He didn't like to see her upset, however. He was going to have to find a way to cheer her up.

Hermione, on the other hand, was in no mood to be cheered up. She was too busy mentally berating herself for loosing control. She hadn't done that since their third year when she had slapped Malfoy.

Plus, she had caused Gryffindors to loose points _and_ got detention. She was a prefect for goodness sakes! She was suppose to set an example, not cause trouble. How could she have done something so stupid?

The bushy haired brunette looked up in time to see Ron looking at her with concern in his eyes. She felt her expression soften at the thought of being comforted in his arms. But it hardened just as quickly as she reminded herself that it would never happen, they were only friends.

******

Harry was oblivious to his friends' internal struggles during lunch; he was too wrapped up in his own. He continually stared at Dawn and Ginny who were sitting with Seamus, again. More correctly, he was staring at Ginny.

He couldn't quite figure out why he couldn't stop doing it either. True, his stomach had done some strange things since she had arrived at the beginning of the school year. But ever since Halloween he just couldn't stop looking at or thinking about her.

His green eyes couldn't help but narrow in jealousy as he watched her laugh lightly at something Seamus said, and then laid a hand on his arm. Why was she even down there? She was spending less meal times with them and more with him. He just didn't get it.

Harry looked back at his food, nearly untouched. He poked at it a couple of times, but nothing seemed to make it to his mouth. Could he really fancy Ginny? But she was Ron's little sister! The one he saved from Tom Riddle her first year at Hogwarts. If he did truly like her, as he was beginning to suspect, Ron would probably kill him. Not to mention the rest of the Weasley brothers. They were all fiercely protective of their baby sister.

He sighed and continued to watch her.

"He's starrin' again," Seamus said.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, not daring to look.

Dawn looked over without turning her head. "He is. He's glaring at Seamus."

"Why?"

"Because look where your hand is Gin," Dawn said in a voice full of humor.

The redhead looked down and realized she hadn't moved said hand from Seamus' arm. She went to pull it away but Seamus stopped her.

"You move it now and he'll know you saw him."  
"Seamus, are you sure you're ok with this?"

"Ginny, I've told you a hundred times, yes. You're like my little sister and I want you to be happy. And if it requires me to flirt with you so Harry will take note of it then that's what I'm gonna do."  
"As long as you're sure," Ginny said with a smile.


	27. Relaxing

Chapter Twenty-Six

Relaxing

That Saturday, Dawn sat excitedly in the stands of the quidditch field. Slytherin was playing Ravenclaw that day, and she couldn't wait to watch Draco. She had received several strange looks from her fellow Gryffindors since she was holding green and silver pom-poms.

"Excited?" Ginny asked as she plopped next to her.

Dawn nodded vigorously. "I've never watched an actual game before. And the fact that my boyfriend is playing the first one I see just doubles my excitement."

Ginny laughed. "Our housemates may disown you since you're rooting for the Slytherins."

"Like I care," she replied with a shrug. "I want them to win for two reasons. First being for Draco's sake. The other is that I've heard that they are really our only real competition. And you know how I like challenges."

"I don't really think you have to worry. The Ravenclaw team is really young and inexperienced; they're no match for the Slytherins."

"Good," Dawn said happily.

"Good what?" Harry asked as he sat next to Ginny.

"Slytherin will probably win today," the redhead answered.

"I don't see where that is good, but you're right. This is the first year on the team for most of their players. Unless Draco can't find the snitch, which is a typical problem for him, it should be a fairly quick high scoring game."

Dawn sent Harry a mock glare, "Be nice."

"I am," he said innocently. "I can't help it that you're boyfriend is blind. I've seen the snitch hover next to his ear and he be completely oblivious to it."

"In Harry's defense, I've seen it happen," Ginny said with a giggle.

The brunette sent her mock glare to her best friend, but found she couldn't hold it. A small giggle escaped from her lips.

"I'm sure that it won't happen today," Harry said solemnly. "He wouldn't want to look like a complete git in front of his girlfriend."

Dawn was stopped short of making a retort by the players taking to the sky. She stood and cheered as Draco flew by.

"I still don't get what you see in ferret-boy," Ron said as he sat behind them with Hermione.

"You're not looking hard enough," Dawn said simply.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked.

"Had to drag 'Mione out of the library," the redhead answered with a roll of his eyes. "She was working on an arithmancy paper."  
"It's due in two weeks!" Hermione protested.

Draco took his place above the field across from Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker. He looked over to the Gryffindor section and saw his angel wave at him. He smiled and waved back. The blond couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the pom-poms she was holding.

~Good luck.~

~Thanks.~

He was relieved to see her smiling again. Ever since they had found Nerdanal's book and had started to explore her power she had become reticent and withdrawn. Draco knew that Ginny had noticed it also. Dawn didn't know it, but he had talked to the redhead about it. They had agreed to keep an eye on the brunette and make sure she didn't sink too far into her melancholy. 

The blond turned his attention to the professor's seats. Buffy and Spike gave him the thumbs up. He felt a bubble of happiness well up inside. Even though he knew they cared, but to witness them display it in public made it really hit home. It was nice to know that he had a family that cared and supported him.

He focused his gaze on the field below him as Madam Hooch blew her whistle. First she released the snitch, followed by the bludgers. Then she threw the quaffle in the air and the action began.

Dawn sat in her seat, her face glued to the game. She would unconsciously tense every time a bludger came within ten feet of Draco. She began thinking that playing against Slytherin wasn't such a good idea. How could she ever intentionally try to hurt her boyfriend?

Ginny easily read her friend's face. She nudges her in the side with her elbow. "He'll be fine."  
"I know, but I can't help worrying."  
"Just relax, he knows what he's doing."

Dawn just nodded. She forced herself to stop worrying and just enjoy the game. She soon found herself on her feet waving her pom-poms in the air when Slytherin had scored.

"You do know that they're our main rival?" Seamus called out from a couple of rows back.

She just ignored him and continued to cheer.

Ginny and Harry had been correct about the Ravenclaw team being so inexperienced. Fifteen minutes into the game, Slytherin was leading forty to nothing.

Dawn saw a flash of gold wiz by, followed by the two seekers. Her eyes followed Draco as he kept trying to get ahead of Cho. The snitch dove nearly straight down, only to level off a few feet above the ground.

Both seekers daringly followed it down. But Cho chickened out and pulled up, but Draco waited until the last possible second to pull out of his dive. He reached forward and wrapped his fingers around the snitch.

Dawn let out the breath she didn't realized she had been holding. As realization of what just happened hit her, she jumped on top of her seat and began cheering at the top of her lungs.

"Told you he wouldn't want to look like a stupid git," Harry said jokingly. Inside he was a little worried. He had never seen Malfoy pull off such a complicated maneuver before.

"He was fabulous!" Dawn cried as she climbed down from her seat. "See you guys later!" She called out as she ran down to the field.

Draco had just untangled himself from Buffy and Spike to receive a bear hug from Dawn. "That was absolutely amazing!" She cried before kissing him soundly on the mouth.

"Thanks," he said as he pulled her close.

"Now, now. Keep it clean," Spike admonished with a smile on his lips.

The two just blushed as they separated slightly and began heading back to the castle.

********

The next day, Dawn was exiting the Gryffindor Tower with Ginny. It was lunchtime and they were heading down to the Great Hall to grab a bite to eat.

"About bloody time."  
Dawn looked up to see Draco leaning against the wall with his broom. She smiled and walked over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Hey! What's up?"

"You are coming with me," he said simply.

"Where to?"

"Not telling," he said with a sly smile. He caught Ginny's eye behind Dawn. She gave him a thumbs up.

"But it's lunchtime."  
"I know, but you're still coming with me."

"But I'm hungry," Dawn whined. "Plus, I was going to hang out with Ginny."

"It's ok. We can hang out later," the redhead said quickly.

"See, it's all settled. Let's go." Draco then offered his arm to her.

She took it with a questioning look and waved bye to Ginny.

Draco then proceeded to lead her through the corridors of Hogwarts. She soon found herself in a part of the castle that she was only vaguely familiar with. They stopped before a large portrait of fruit.

The blond carefully leaned his broom against the wall and then tickled the green pear. The portrait swung open and he stuck his head in. "Dobby! Are you there?"

Dawn recognized the name of the house-elf that Harry was friends with. She knew he worked in the kitchen, but never had the opportunity to meet him.

"Yes Mister Draco. I is here." A voice from inside answered.

"Did you get everything I asked for?"  
"Yes, plus I packed a couple of extra things for you and the missus."

"Thanks Dobby, I really appreciate this."  
A light wail was heard and then a small figure stepped through the door who wore mismatched socks on his feet. It wrapped its arms around Draco's legs. "Dobby is so happy that Mister Draco isn't like his father."

Dawn couldn't help but smile at Draco's embarrassment. She giggled softly as he tried, unsuccessfully, to pry the house-elf off of him. He turned to face her and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Dobby, have you met Dawn?"

The house-elf looked up and a big smile appeared on his face. He let go of Draco and rushed over to Dawn. "Mister Draco said that the missus was beautiful, but he didn't tell Dobby that she was this beautiful."

Dawn blushed and knelt down so she was eye to eye with him. "That's very sweet of you to say Dobby. Harry has told me so much about you."

"Missus Dawn is friends with Harry Potter?"

"Yes, I'm in Gryffindor also."

"Oh Missus Dawn," Dobby cried as he hugged her. "You'll take good care of Mister Draco won't you?"

"Of course," she replied as she hugged him back.

"Dobby, our lunch?" Draco asked politely.

"Oh yes, Mister Draco. Dobby will get it for you." Then he disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Lunch?" Dawn asked.

Draco just winked at her and she felt her knees go slightly weak. He turned his attention back to the portrait as Dobby came back through carrying a picnic basket.

"Here it is Mister Draco, you have a good time."  
"Thank you Dobby," Draco said as the house-elf went back into the kitchen and closed the portrait behind him.

The blond hooked the basket over his arm and picked up his broom. He then offered his other arm to Dawn, "Shall we?"

Suddenly catching on, she smiled brightly and took it. "We shall."

He led her outside and they both rode his broom out to just past the quidditch field. Draco couldn't believe his luck with the weather. It had turned out to be one of those rare, warm November days. Their long sleeve shirts were able to keep them warm.

They sat down in the field and Draco laid out the blanket and the food. He patted the spot next to him and Dawn sat down next to him.

"So what's this all about?"

"You needed a break. This is to give you a chance to relax and not think about anything but being here with me."  
"You're joking," Dawn said with a skeptical look on her face.

"No, I'm not," he said seriously. "No talk about the key, demons, powers, elves, or even classes."  
"Ginny knew you planned this," she said accusingly.

"Kind of. We've been a little worried about you."  
"You two actually had a conversation without me?"

"Yeah."

"Will wonders never cease? A Malfoy is friends with a Weasley."

"Her name is Ginny," he said with a smile. "Besides, she's not so bad, for a Weasley."

They both laughed and began to eat.

After they had eaten their fill and packed everywhere back into the basket, except for the blanket, Draco laid on his back and Dawn snuggled up to him.

"This was wonderful. Thank you."  
"Anything for you," he whispered.


	28. Working Together

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Working Together

Ron had his eyes closed in concentration. He was in the middle of one of his wicca sessions with Willow and Tara. He was finding the evening's lesson a little strenuous.

He was currently exploring his center of magic. Tara had taught him how to look inside himself and find it. Today, he was delving into the depths of it and how his emotions and thoughts affected it.

"Very good, Ron," Willow said encouragingly.

"Now think of a happy memory," Tara instructed quietly.

Ron began sorting through his memories.

"But don't lose your focus on your center," the brunette reminded him.

The redhead let out a puff of air to knock the stray lock of hair on his forehead to the side. He refocused on his center, then began searching again. He stopped on a random moment in his life.

It was when Hermione had spent a week at the Burrow over the summer. She was giggling over a game they were playing with the twins. He felt his heart swell as he remembered that this was the first moment he realized that he loved her.

Her hair was fairly glowing in the sunlight and she seemed like a heavenly creature to him. An unbidden smile appeared on his lips.

~I'd say he found one.~ Willow said.

~You think?~ Tara asked with a smirk. Turning her attention back to Ron she said, "Now see how your magic feels now, but keep that emotion firmly in place."

Ron did as she asked and was astounded by what he found. He could almost see the warm depths of power that he could access.

"How does it feel?"

"It's warm....and almost loving. I feel as if I reached out that I would be able to sense almost anything. As if it's all connected."

"Very good," Tara said sincerely. "Before you cast any spell, your magicks should always feel like that. That way you know you are accessing white magic."

"What does black magic feel like?" Ron asked as he opened his eyes.

"Dark, tempting. Like you are all-powerful and no one can oppose you," Willow said softly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No. It's ok," she assured him with a quick smile. "It's important that you know the difference between the two."

Tara reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "As long as love and not anger or pain feeds your intent, you won't be corrupted."

Ron nodded his head. "Is everything connected like I sensed?"

"Yes. Wiccas pull from the world around them. Everything depends upon something else. For example, we breathe oxygen, which is produced by plants. Plants in turn require carbon dioxide to survive, which is what we exhale," Tara explained.

"And kind of like the sun causes water in a stream to evaporate, which turns into clouds, which then turns into rain, which falls back into the stream?" Ron asked hesitantly.  
"Exactly," Willow said proudly.

"Wicked. So if I tried really hard I could find someone on the other side of the world?"

"In theory. But I don't suggest trying something so complex just yet," Tara said with a smile.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Willow said. "You can go back to the Tower."

"Thanks. You two are great!" Ron called out as he headed out the door.

*******

The next night, all but Dawn were in the Muggle Defense room. They were eagerly waiting for Buffy and Spike to show up. The two of them were continually changing the routine to make sure that they didn't get bored.

"Wonder what they have planned for tonight," Ginny mused.

"I rather liked the hide-n-seek in the dark game we played last night," Neville said cheerfully.

"That's only cause you won," Ginny said sullenly.

"How about you guys attack Spike and me while we're blindfolded?" Buffy asked cheerfully as she and Spike entered the room.

"Wicked," Ron said. "Do we attack as a group or individually?"

"Group," said Spike with a smirk. "We'd like a challenge."

"Ha, bloody, ha," Draco said with a smirk of his own. As always, he felt a little awkward being in the same room with the Gryffindors without Dawn. When she was present, he didn't feel out of place. At least Ginny supported him.

He was excited about the prospect of fighting his uncle. So far, Spike hadn't sparred with anybody. The only time he had witnessed Spike's ability was when he had sparred with Buffy the first day of class and when they went of patrol every Friday.

The slayer and vampire readied themselves by removing their shoes and firmly tying strips of fabric over their eyes. They stood together, back to back, in the center of the room.

"Whenever you guys are ready," Buffy said with a smile.

Harry motioned for the group to surround the duo and then they attacked as one. Despite the fact that they couldn't see, Buffy and Spike were able to fend off most of the attacks.

Soon they were all laughing as they tried to see who could actually land a punch without being hit themselves.

Harry dove in to try and tackle Buffy, but found himself flying over the top of her and landing on Ginny. His face was just inches from the redhead beauty below him.

He could only stare into her brown eyes in wonder. She licked her lips and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. His brain suddenly caught up to what his heart had been trying to tell him since the school year had started. He wanted Ginny Weasley.

As he leaned down to close the distance between them he heard Draco yell, "Potter! You stupid git! We're fighting here, not having a snogging session!"

Harry jumped up quickly and his face turned red as he realized what he had almost done. He didn't want Ginny to find out he liked her by kissing her in front of Malfoy. He wanted the moment to be just right.

As soon as he turned around, Ginny shot a glare to Draco that promised pain if he ever did that again. The blond just smirked in response.

"This isn't working!" Ron called out as he narrowly blocked a kick from Buffy.

"Regroup!" Draco yelled, motioning everyone over to a corner of the room.

"What makes you think we're going to follow you, Malfoy?"

"Because, Potter, you're plan obviously isn't working."  
"Fine!"

"Fine!"

The students huddled in a corner while Buffy and Spike tried not to listen in.

"Think they'll ever be able to work together as a group, luv?"

"Sooner or later. I mean look at us. We eventually got over our differences to be able to work together."  
"But luv, that took years. These kids may not have that long to get to that point."

"I know, but that's the point of these exercises, to make them learn to rely on each other."

Over in the huddle, all the Gryffindors were glaring at Draco. Ginny was because she was still upset with him from interrupting her near kiss with Harry, and the others were because they didn't want to follow him.

"Why do you think we can't beat them?" Draco asked.

"Gee, I don't know, Malfoy," Ron said sarcastically. "Maybe because they're stronger and faster than us?"  
"But they're not using their full strength on us. Plus, they've handicapped themselves," Ginny pointed out.

"Still doesn't explain why we're not winning," Neville said.

"They're protecting each other's backs," Draco said with exasperation. He couldn't understand why they didn't see. It would be the first thing he would do if he were defending himself with another person. "They don't have to worry about being completely surrounded cause there is always a defender behind them."

"If we separate them, we could take them down," Harry said, catching on.

"But how do we do that?" Hermione asked.

Draco really couldn't believe he was about to say this, "Potter and I can distract Buffy, while the rest of you tackle Spike and get him away from her."  
Harry could only stare at Malfoy in amazement. His worst rival was willing to work with him. He looked over at Ginny who nodded her head in encouragement. "Fine, Malfoy. What do we do?"

After quickly outlining the plan, the six students, once again, circled the blindfolded duo. At Draco's nod, he and Harry attacked Buffy while the other four went after Spike.

Before long, the slayer and vampire were on opposite sides of the room and had to defend themselves.

Spike was suddenly knocked to the floor by Ginny and then he felt something pressed against his chest.

"You're dead," whispered Hermione in his ear.

He took his blindfold off the see Hermione, Neville, and the two Weasleys grinning down at him. He looked across the room to see Harry and Draco working in tandem against Buffy. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips as he asked, "You guys gonna help those two?"

"The four took off in a rush and tackled Buffy to the floor.

"Gotcha!" Neville cried.

The slayer just laughed as she removed her blindfold. She could see Spike grinning like a fool on the other side of the room. They just shared a knowing look.

*******

On their way back to the Tower, Harry walked nervously beside Ginny. He knew he wanted to tell her, but he wasn't sure how.

As Hermione, Ron, and Neville stepped through the portrait, Harry tugged on Ginny's arm. She looked at him curiously, but waved the others on ahead.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Ginny....I...."

"Yes?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was wondering if...." Merlin, this was harder than asking Dawn out for Halloween.

"If what, Harry?"

"If you would accompany me to the Observatory Tower tomorrow night."

"Sure."

His green eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"  
"Yeah, just let me know what time," she said as she kissed him lightly on the cheek and then headed inside.

He couldn't stop the goofy grin that appeared on his face. He wasn't sure if he wanted to.

*******

Ginny was anxiously awaiting Dawn's arrival in the Great Hall the next morning. She couldn't wait to tell her that she had a date with Harry that night.

"Looks like Draco is having problems with Pansy," Ron said curiously.

She looked over, and sure enough, the two seemed to be having some sort of argument. He was gesturing wildly and had his back to the door.

The redhead caught movement in the corner of her eye and turned to see Dawn enter the room.

The brunette smiled and waved at her friend who was pointing to the other side of the room. Dawn turned her head in time to see Draco kissing Pansy in front of everyone.

~No!~

Draco pulled himself away from Pansy and turned to see his angel staring at him in horror.

~Dawn, wait!~

She turned and ran from the Hall without looking back.


	29. Finding Each Other

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Finding Each Other

Dawn was blocking all attempts Draco made to talk to her mentally so he was forced to yell out loud as he chased her down the corridors.

"Would you let me explain!"

She just ignored him as she made her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She was crying so hard she could barely see.

"Dawn! Wait!" He was having a hard time catching up to her. He was thankful for his long legs.

He finally caught up to her. The blond grabbed her arm and spun her around. He felt horrible at being the cause of her pain and tears.

"What?" She cried.

"Please let me explain!"

"What? That you're really sorry and that I'm a great girl but Pansy is better? Spare me, I've heard that excuse before." She turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"No! It's not like that...."

"Then it's what? You only pretended to like me so you could spy on Harry for Voldemort? Maybe Harry and Ron were right. You can't be trusted."

"That's not it."

Dawn continued as though she didn't hear him. "Maybe you're not the wizard of the prophecy. Must have been my foolish hoping."

Draco involuntarily flinched as the words cut through him. "Would you stop and listen to me?"

"No!" A green fire erupted around her and she held a hand up saying, "Súrë."

A gust of wind came from behind Dawn and knocked Draco off his feet. He flew through the air until he hit a wall. She turned and ran down the hallway.

Ginny had just caught up to them when Draco slid to the floor. She rushed up to the blond to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Weasley. I don't need your help," he said harshly, shoving her hand away.

She stood quickly and said sharply, "Are we back to that again? Malfoy."

"And why would you care?"

"Because you have my best friend's heart and you just trampled all over it," she answered hotly. She had a feeling that what happened wasn't his fault, but she needed to shock him out of his Malfoy defense.

At Ginny's outburst, Draco's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. He buried his face into his hands. "I think I lost her," he said faintly.

The redhead crouched down next to him. "What happened?"

"Pansy and I were arguing. She wanted me to shape up and take the death mark during Christmas break. Then the next thing I knew she was kissing me. And you saw the rest," he said morosely.

"I didn't think you'd cheat on her. You've changed so much over the past couple of months."

Draco looked up pleadingly at the redhead. "I can't loose her Ginny. I can't. She's all I've got."

"Let me talk to her. I saw you and Pansy arguing before it happened. She's probably just in shock, and it doesn't help that her last boyfriend cheated on her."

Draco's eyes widened in horror. "Merlin! No wonder she wouldn't talk to me."

"Let me calm her down and talk some sense into her. I'll let you know when you can talk to her."

The blond just mutely nodded and watched her walk down the hall in the direction that Dawn had gone.

Ginny knocked on Dawn's door and waited for an answer. When none came she pressed her ear against the door and could hear sobbing. She knocked again and then tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Dawn. It's Ginny. Open the door."

All she got was silence.

"Dawn, I know you're in there open up."

"Go away."

"No, we need to talk."

"There's nothing to say. Draco is a prick. End of story."

"You need to..."

"No! Just leave me alone!" Then the door vibrated as something large and heavy was slammed into it.

Ginny sighed and decided to try again later. Dawn was obviously in no mood to talk.

*******

Later that night, Ginny got ready to meet Harry in the common room for their date. She had tried talking to Dawn again, but all she received was stony silence. So she was left to prepare for her date all by herself.

She chose a soft royal blue sweater that made her red hair glow. Her black skirt hit just above the knee and showed off the curve of her hips. She pulled her hair back into a loose twist and left tendrils to frame her face. And by now, she was a pro at putting on makeup. She put on enough to enhance her eyes and a shimmery gloss on her lips.

As she came down the stairs, she saw that Harry was nervously waiting. She couldn't stop the soft smile that appeared on her lips when he turned around and saw her. The redhead didn't think that someone's mouth could open so far.

"Wow. I mean you look...Wow."

"Thank you, Harry," she said with a light laugh.

"Well, um..." He hesitated before offering her his arm. She took it with a smile.

They took their time getting to the Observatory Tower. The two talked easily over the events of the school year. The closer they got, the more nervous Ginny got. She kept thinking that something would go wrong any second.

After putting their cloaks on, they stepped out onto the top of the tower. Ginny sucked in a breath at the beautiful landscape before her. She could see the lights of Hogsmeade across the lake and the sky was so clear that it was full of stars twinkling down at them.

"This is amazing," she said breathlessly.

"Not as amazing as you," Harry said softly from behind her.

She ducked her head to hide her blush, "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do Ginny." He took her hand and led her over to a couple of chairs. "There's something I want to explain to you."  
"What?"

Harry took a moment to take a deep breath and try to calm his shaky nerves. "I'll admit that when the school year started I had a huge crush on Dawn. We had gotten close over the summer and we seemed to connect on levels that I had never connected on with anyone else.

"She knew what is was like to liked and wanted for what you were, not who you are. Someone had hunted her for evil purposes, just like me."

Ginny nodded her head in understanding. She could see how those experiences could bring two people together.

"Then you showed up and my heart and stomach kept doing these weird flip-flopping things and I couldn't understand it. I was too wrapped up in my feelings for Dawn. It wasn't until Halloween that my brain started to get an inkling of an idea."  
"What idea?"

"I was angry that Dawn had decided to go with Malfoy. Then I got even madder when I saw you enter with them. I was furious that he was dancing with you, talking with you, and making you laugh. I kept thinking that it should have been me."

"Why didn't you do anything?"

"Because my brain kept saying that you were Ron's little sister and that he'd kill me if he ever found out."

"And now?"

"I don't care what he thinks or do. I like you Ginny. A lot." He reached out and took her hands into his own. Looking into her eyes he said, "If you want me, that is."

Ginny had the sudden urge to pinch herself to check and see if she was dreaming. Harry finally wanted to be her boyfriend. But a small concern still clouded her heart.

"How do I know that you only want me cause you can't have Dawn?" She asked fearfully, dropping her gaze to their entwined hands.

"Look at me Ginny," he waited until she brought her tearful eyes up to meet his. "You're the one who calms me with just a touch of your hand. My heart flutters every time I see you. You make me feel like I'm the man everyone expects me to be. Dawn doesn't do any of these things to me. Only you."  
Astonished brown eyes stared into sincere and hoping green ones. She had no idea she had that kind of effect on him. Dawn and Draco had tried to tell her, but she hadn't believed them until she had heard the actual words from the object of her affections.

"Ginny, please say something," Harry said with a tremor. He was scared that he had taken too long to figure things out and she no longer wanted him.

"Yes, Harry," she said with a smile.

He decided to finish what he had started the night before and leaned in to press his lips lightly to hers. She responded by opening her mouth, touching her tongue to his lips. 

Harry immediately responded, deepening the kiss. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 

When they finally broke apart, Harry shifted so the two could cuddle while still looking out over the castle grounds. She felt so good and right in his arms, Harry wondered why it had taken him so long to figure it out.

"Ron is probably still going to kill you," Ginny said lightly after a moment.

"I know," Harry said with a sigh. "Do we really have to tell him?"

Ginny just laughed and kissed him again.

******

The next morning, Ginny marched herself right up to Dawn's door. Without knocking, she pulled out her wand and said, "Alohomora." She then entered the unlocked door.

She found Dawn curled up on her bed, absently petting Latyar. The redhead couldn't help but gasp at her friend's disorderly appearance. Dawn had obviously slept in her wrinkled clothes and her hair was a tangled mess.

"Dawn," she said softly.

"How could he do this to me?" Dawn asked Latyar sadly. She hadn't acknowledged Ginny's presence.

Ginny walked over and sat down on the bed next to Dawn. "Draco didn't do anything, Dawn."

The brunette looked up with bloodshot eyes. "How can you say that? You were there. You saw him."  
"Yes, but it wasn't his fault. Pansy kissed him to break you two up."  
Dawn's eyes went wide with hope. "Really?"

"Yes. I saw them arguing before it happened."  
"Oh my god! I said some awful things to him. What if he doesn't forgive me?"  
"I'm sure he'll understand. But you really need to talk to him."  
"I'll go now."  
"Um, Dawn."  
"Yeah?"

"I'd clean up a bit first, if I were you," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Dawn took a look at herself in the mirror, and with a shudder, agreed.

******

As she walked into Draco's secret room, Dawn couldn't help but feel shocked by Draco's appearance. His normally slicked back hair was mussed and hung in his face. He sat slumped in a chair looking forlornly out the window. Dawn couldn't help but realized that Ginny was right and that he was hurting as much as she was.

"Thought I'd find you here," she said softly.

Draco had been wallowing so deep in his misery that he hadn't heard her enter. Startled, he turned around to look at her. "What do you want?" He asked defensively.

"To talk."  
"Oh, now she wants to talk," he muttered to himself.

"I talked to Ginny," she began.

He looked at her apprehensively. "And what did Weasley have to say?"  
The conversation wasn't exactly going the way she had hoped, so she tried a different tract. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I had caught my last boyfriend making out with some girl in the halls of my old school. So when I saw you kissing Pansy in the Great Hall I panicked. I...."  
Draco was watching her carefully as she talked. When she had first come in he had only seen her neat and groomed appearance. But now he could see the dark circles under her bloodshot eyes and the pinched, drawn expression on her face. His heart broke knowing that he was responsible for her pain.

He got up and walked over to her as she was continuing to explain what Ginny had told her. He enveloped her in his arms and pulled her gently to him. He whispered softly into her hair, "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who is sorry."

Dawn wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his shoulder. "But she kissed you, not the other way around."  
"But I should have stopped her."

"You had no way of knowing that she was going to do that."  
Draco couldn't help but start chuckling.

She pulled her head back to look up at him. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Us. Apologizing to each other and then insisting that the other doesn't have to."  
Dawn let a small giggle escape. "It is kind of funny."  
"Not too bad for our first fight."  
"But we haven't got to the best part yet," Dawn said mischievously.

"And what's that?"  
For an answer, she pressed her lips to his.

  



	30. Christmas Plans

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Christmas Plans

While Ginny was talking some sense into Dawn, Harry pulled Ron off to the side in the Gryffindor common room.

"What is it Harry?" Ron asked in concern.

"Before I say anything, promise me you won't get mad and blow everything out of proportion."

"But what..."  
"Just promise."

"Ok I promise. Now what's wrong?"

Harry searched for the right words. "It's about Ginny..."

"What about her? Is she ok? Is she hurt?" Ron asked urgently.

"No, she's fine," Harry said quickly to assure his friend. "Really fine actually," he added under his breath. "You know how she's always had that crush on me?"  
"Who doesn't?" Ron asked with a slight snort.

"Well...I like her too."  
Ron peered closely at his friend. "Are you sure you fancy her or is this because you can't have Dawn?"

"I'm sure I like her. I think I've know on some level for a while now. It's only been in the past couple of days that I figured it out." Harry squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable outburst.

"That's great mate," Ron said with a grin as he clasped his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry cautiously opened one eye and asked, "Are you sure? You're not mad?"

"I couldn't ask for a better guy to date my sister. But if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you, best friend or not."

The raven-haired boy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and smiled.

*********

The next month passed rather quickly. The students buried themselves in their schoolwork and all of their extra training. They had very little free time.

What free time they did have, Draco and Dawn spent it together. Pansy's plan to break them up had only brought them closer together.

They weren't the only couple to spend their free time together. Most people were hard pressed to say when they didn't see Harry and Ginny together.

While Hermione was glad to see them together, she couldn't help but be slightly resentful towards them. She ended up spending a lot of her time alone or with Ron.

Not that she minded spending time with him. It was just getting harder for her to hide her attraction. She wished that things would work out for them like it had for the others.

But before she knew it, Christmas break had arrived and everyone was getting ready to go home for the holiday.

It was the holiday that the scoobies wanted to discuss with Dumbledore. They had gathered in his office with Professors Snape and McGonagall.

"What is it you wished to discuss?" Albus asked.

"As you know we're all returning to Sunnydale for Christmas," Buffy began.

"Along with Draco," Spike added.

"I think that's wonderful," said Albus. "It will do him good to get out and experience muggle life."

"That's not all mate."

"Oh?" Dumbledore said, raising his eyebrows in an unspoken question.

"It's just..." Buffy faltered.

"We thought it might be..." Willow tried.

"We wondered if..." Xander began.

"Oh for goodness sakes!" Anya exclaimed. "We want to take Harry with us to Sunnydale."

"That is one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard," Snape said derisively.

"It's not ridiculous," Anya retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Albus said.

"And why not?" Buffy asked.

"It's much too dangerous."

"Albus, you can't keep the kid locked up forever. You keep him here for too long and he'll become resentful." Spike pointed out.

"We're only concerned for his safety," Minerva said gently.

"But you won't be able to protect him forever," Buffy argued.

"He'll be safe with us," Willow said. "We'll keep an eye on him."

"Oh, like you did at Hogsmeade?" Snape sneered.

"He came back without a scratch on him. The kid knows how to defend himself," Spike said with a glare.

"And now you want to take him to the hellmouth?" Snape nearly yelled.

"In all fairness, the hellmouth is now permanently closed," Giles spoke for the first time.

"The amount of demon activity has also dropped," Tara said gently. "It was one of the reasons why we were able to accept these positions."

"The kid needs to get out," Spike said.

"Professor, he'll have the seven of us to protect him, plus Dawn and Draco. He'll be fine," Buffy said pleadingly.

"Besides, who would think to look for him there," Willow said. "I mean who would hide him at a former hellmouth in the States?"

Dumbledore seemed to consider both sides of the argument. He knew that Harry would never admit it, but he probably was feeling a little overprotected. The boy had missed out on so much during his life and it would be a shame to deprive him of this.

The scoobies all looked at him with a mixture of pleading and hopeful looks. He gave them a gentle smile before saying, "I will allow Harry to go with you."

"Professor, surely you can't be serious?" Snape protested over the other's cheers.

"Yes, I am Severus. They have made several good points. However, I do have several requests."

"What?" Giles asked.

"The first is that you do not use muggle transportation to get there. We can have your homes hooked up to the floo network. That way there will be less chances of a wizard here seeing him leave with you."

"Floo network?" Xander asked.

"You travel through fireplaces," Spike explained. "What else?" He asked, as he turned his attention back to his old friend.

"I think that you should also take several portkeys with you that you can use in case of an emergency."  
"Portkeys?" Willow asked.

"They'll transport someone to the programmed destination. You could use them to transport Harry back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained.

"Sound reasonable to me," Giles said.

"It's still risky," Snape said darkly.

"Anything that matters usually is," Anya shot back.

"Why you little..."

"Severus, that's enough," Albus said firmly. Turning to the others he said, "I trust you will appraise Harry of these plans."

"Of course," Buffy said brightly.

*******

Dawn sat on Ginny's bed as she watched her redheaded friend pack for Christmas break. "So when are you leaving?"  
"Ron and I leave tomorrow. You?"

"Not for a couple of days. We have to wait until the house gets hooked to the floo network."

"You guys are traveling by floo?"

"Yeah. Something about protecting Harry or something like that."

"I wish I could go with you," Ginny said with a sigh.

Dawn laughed. "You just want to join us cause Harry's going with us."

"Well, yeah," she said, hiding a light blush. "But I've always wanted to visit the States."

"You could visit during the summer. It should be pretty easy now that we have that whole fireplace thing," Dawn pointed out.

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"Oh, maybe not."

"Why?" Dawn asked, slightly hurt.

"My dad loves muggles. He always grills Harry and Hermione when they visit. I could only imagine what he'd do to his own daughter if I stayed with one," Ginny groaned.

Dawn's hurt lessened as she began to understand what her friend was saying. "Or we could invite him to dinner one night."

Ginny's eye brightened at that thought. "He would love it."

The two sat in comfortable silence while Ginny continued to pack. "Wonder how Draco will handle muggle life," Ginny mused softly.

"What?"

"Well, he's always prided himself on his pureblood status. I know a little about muggle life cause of dad, but he knows nothing."

"Then I'll just have to teach him, won't I," Dawn said with a wicked glint in her eyes.

********

"So you get to have a real Christmas for once," Ron said to Harry as they both packed.

"Yeah. Complete with a family dinner, tree, and presents." Harry said happily.

"Not to mention a normal holiday."  
"Well, as normal as it can be with staying with a slayer, a vampire, a key that used to be an elf from another dimension, and my main rival over a former hellmouth. We even got a special dispensation about using magic in case of an emergency."  
"I forgot that Draco was going to be there too," Ron said.

"Unfortunately I'll have to put up with him. If I'm lucky, he won't be too much of a git."

Ron snorted. "Like that would ever happen."

********

Draco was alone in his room, nervously packing. He didn't tell anyone, but he was afraid to go to Sunnydale. He had spent his entire life in the wizarding world so he had no clue what muggle life was like.

He only hoped that Dawn would keep him from looking like a complete idiot.

The thought of spending the next several weeks with his angel without school getting in the way cheered him up. Also the thought of being able to eat meals next to her instead of across the room and the sneak into here room at night for a brief snogging session. The last thought brought a smile to his lips.

At least he'd be able to spend the holiday with people who actually cared for him. It would be a nice change.

Besides, he needed to get away from Hogwarts for a while. Aside from Dawn and Ginny, he had no friends. No one in Slytherin talked to him anymore. Not even Goyle talked to him. He was literally an outcast in his own house.

********

Dear Sirius, 

I'm sorry that I haven't written very much, but I've been pretty busy. The school year has passed so quickly that I had lost track of time.

Ginny made the quidditch team. She's one of our new beaters along with Dawn. You should see them play, they're bloody amazing.

I'm still getting my muggle defense training from Buffy and Spike in the evenings. The others have joined us also. It actually came in handy during the first Hogsmeade weekend. We got attacked by demons in the middle of the day. I walked away unhurt. I was never more scared and exhilarated all at the same time before.

Oh, did I mention that Spike is a Malfoy? Apparently he's Draco's great-great-great-great uncle. And Draco has decided not to be a death eater and now trains with us. I can't decide if I believe him or not. Dawn does though. Believes him so much that they're dating.

Which leads me into the first of my good news. I've got a girlfriend. Which is another reason why I've been so busy. Her name is Ginny Weasley. I know you know her, I just can't stop saying it. She's absolutely wonderful. I don't know why I didn't see it earlier.

My other good news is that I have plans for Christmas. Dumbledore is letting me spend the holiday with the slayer in the States. I'm so excited. A true, honest to goodness Christmas.

It's time for me to go. I hope you have a happy Christmas. Say hello to Buckbeak and Moony for me.

Harry


	31. Muggle Life

Chapter Thirty

Muggle Life

Buffy coughed as she walked through her living room in Sunnydale. "Okay, that's just nasty. Not as nasty as being covered in demon blood, but still nasty." She continued trying to clean floo powder from her lungs.

"Forgot to warn you about that, luv. Sorry."

Before long the entire scooby gang, along with Harry and Draco, were gathered in the Summers' living room. They were all covered with soot.

"I need a shower," Dawn said, as she saw her dirty face in the mirror.

"I think the same could be said for all of us," Willow added as she inspected her own dirty clothes.

"Yes, I agree. I suggest that we return to our respective homes to unpack and wash up," Giles said as he tried to clean his glasses on his dirty shirt.

"Meet back here in say, two hours?" Buffy asked.

"Oh! Can we order pizza?" Xander asked. "I've been dying for a slice."

"Sure thing," Buffy said with a smile.

The gang quickly gathered up their luggage and filed out the door, leaving those whom were staying at the Summers' household.

Harry was just soaking in the loving aura the place gave him. Like the Burrow, it felt like a family lived there. He was looking forward to spending the next several weeks there.

Draco, on the other hand, was looking about in curiosity. The pictures that were everywhere were not moving, which seemed rather odd to him. There was a large box sitting on the floor that had a glass front, but he couldn't see through it. On top of it sat thin rectangular boxes that had blinking lights and numbers on it.

Continuing his inspection he noticed no candles or torches to light the room after dark. He wondered how they planned to illuminate the room later.

"Earth to Draco," Dawn called teasingly.

"Huh?"

"Buffy was getting ready to tell you where you were sleeping," Dawn told him.

"Oh," he said dazedly. There was just so much for him to take in. He wondered, albeit briefly, if this was how muggle born wizards felt when they first arrived at Hogwarts.

"Draco and Harry, you'll be sharing my old room," Buffy's voice said, cutting in on his wonderings.

"What?!" The two boys said in unison.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only option," Buffy explained with a wicked grin. "We only have the one extra bedroom."

"Suck it up, you'll live," Spike said as he began shoving the two stunned boys upstairs.

Dawn couldn't help but giggle at their identical expressions. She had figured out early on what the arrangements were going to be, but she had kept her mouth shut so that it wouldn't scare them off.

She gathered up her own bags and hurried upstairs to her own room. While she enjoyed staying at Hogwarts, it couldn't beat the comforts of home.

Little over an hour later, Dawn sat on the couch in between newly cleaned Draco and Harry. Draco only had minor problems with his shower, such as figuring out how to turn the lights on. He was fine though once they had explained electricity and light switches.

Dawn was pleased to see that Draco hadn't slicked his hair back, but had left it loose and hanging around his eyes. She couldn't seem to stop touching it and enjoying the softness of it.

"Why don't you turn the TV on Harry," she said as she snuggled up to Draco.

"Which remote?"

Dawn pointed to one and he picked it up and pushed a button. Draco jumped in shock as a moving picture came up on the screen and sound came out of the box.

"Merlin! What is that?"

"It's what we call television."  
"How does it work?"

"Well there's....it uses electricity...and there's this tube in it....and a signal....and... Honestly, I don't know how it works, it just does." Dawn said finally.

Draco couldn't help but stare in fascination as Harry flipped through the channels. He was beginning to rethink a couple of his opinions about muggles and their abilities.

Harry turned to Dawn, "What do you want to watch? I didn't get to watch a lot of TV at the Dursley's so I don't know what's good."

"Just flip. I'll let you know when to stop."

Harry flipped until Dawn called out. "Oh stop! Draco will love this show."

"What is it?"  
"Currently muggles are obsessed with reality shows. That means there are no actors, just people placed into weird situations and the one who makes it through wins money. This one is called Fear Factor."  
"Fear Factor?"  
"Yeah. They have to complete these weird challenges that have a definite fear or even gross factor. It can get pretty nasty."

"Wicked."

They watched as the competitors introduced themselves and explained why they would be the one to win.

"This is dumb," Draco said.

"We haven't got to the good part yet," Dawn admonished him.

Buffy and Spike came down the stairs during the first challenge. Buffy just rolled her eyes, but Spike gave the kids the thumbs up on their choice. The two went into the kitchen to pull plates and glasses for the others when they arrived.

Dawn joined them in the kitchen after the first challenge. Draco had been complaining about how simple it was, but she wanted to get out of the room before the food challenge started.

She was just pulling a diet coke out of the fridge when there came a yell from the living room. The three ran in there to see what the matter was.

Harry and Draco sat on the couch with disgusted expressions on their faces. The other three turned to the screen in time to see a woman drink a glass full of blended worms.

"Oh god," Dawn said as she turned her head.

"Gross," Buffy said as she did the same.

"Why is she drinking?" Spike asked.

The boys couldn't answer. They could only stare at the TV in morbid fascination.

The two competitors on the screen tried to make another basket. When they failed to get the ball through the hoop, they both had to drink a glass of blended worms.

When a commercial finally came on, Draco turned to Dawn with a strange look in his eyes. "That was bloody brilliant."

Buffy shuddered. "Yup. Definitely related to Spike."

Xander chose that moment to walk through the door. "Oh, what's on TV?"

"This amazing show called Fear Factor," Draco said gleefully.

"Have they eaten bugs yet?" Xander asked excitedly.

Draco nodded his head.

Buffy and Dawn just shook their own as Willow and Tara arrived.

"What's up?" Willow asked.

"The boys are bonding," Buffy explained as she ushered them into the kitchen.

Before long, Anya and Giles arrived. They had decided on what pizzas to order, after a brief explanation to Draco. Buffy was just hanging up the phone when she heard Spike hollering.

"Yes! He did it!"

"Who did what?"

"Clem! He taped Passions for me!"

"Passions?" Draco asked Dawn.

"It's his favorite soap opera. He and mom used to talk about it all the time. Show's kind of stupid if you ask me."

"It's one of the best things about American television," Spike argued.

Dawn began giggling.

"What?"

"The big bad and his soaps," she said, followed by another peal of giggles.

"Hey now," Spike said with a hurt look. "No need to get insulting."

"The big bad?" Harry asked.

"It's what he calls himself," she answered between giggles.

"I'll have you know..." Spike began, but he was cut off by Buffy's giggles. "Oh ha ha."

Luckily the door opened at that time revealing a flabby looking guy with floppy ears and red eyes.

Harry's eyes widened. "Demon! Demon in the house!"  
Everyone jumped to their feet and turned to where Harry was pointing. They all relaxed though as soon as they realized who it was.

"Clem!" Buffy exclaimed as she gave him a big hug.

"Why is Buffy hugging that demon?" Harry asked.

"Clem is not an evil demon," Giles explained.

"Not unless you're a kitten," Dawn whispered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she said with a wave of her hand as she went to give Clem a hug of her own.

"Glad to see you guys back safe and sound," Clem said. "And look, you brought home strays."

Spike couldn't help but chuckle. "The dark haired one is Harry; the other is my great nephew many times removed, Draco. Boys, this is a good friend of mine Clem."

"Nephew huh?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the tapes mate."  
"No problem."  
"And thank you for taking care of the house and the groceries. I was surprised to see them," Buffy said with a smile.

"It was no problem, Buffy. I figured you wouldn't want to go shopping your first day back."

"We ordered pizza," Willow said. "You gonna stay?"

"Sure," he said as he joined them in the living room.

Harry and Draco couldn't keep their stares away from Clem. His behavior wasn't anything like what they would have thought would come from a demon. He was friendly and jovial.

"Any demons I should worry about while we're home?" Buffy asked.

"Nah. Although a couple of vampires breezed into town a couple of days ago claiming to be Spike and Druscilla."  
"What?" Spike sputtered.

"Yeah. The guys at poker the other night mentioned it so I went to check it out. They don't even look like you guys."  
Spike vamped out and headed to the door saying, "I'm gonna kill them!"

When he opened the door there stood the pizza guy holding several pizzas. He took one look at Spike's face and dropped the pizzas and ran.

"Way to go Spike," Buffy said.

"Hey! Free pizza!" Xander said excitedly as he grabbed the pizzas.

"Spike. Eat first, slay later," Buffy said firmly.

Draco eyed the food that was placed before him. It didn't look too appetizing, but he felt his stomach growl at the smell. He watched as the others picked slices up and started shoving them into their mouths.

He reached out and picked up a slice and took a bite. It tasted as good as it smelled. He quickly ate it and grabbed another slice. He was definitely rethinking his opinions on muggles. Maybe the mudbloods had the best deal of all, both worlds.

After everyone had eaten and cleaned up, Buffy asked, "Who's up for patrolling?"

Spike jumped to his feet and grabbed his duster in answer. The three Hogwarts' students stood to show their decisions.

"I don't know," Buffy said hesitantly.

"Oh come on, Buffy. There's enough of us. And Draco and I have been patrolling the dark forest with you for the past couple of months." Dawn pointed out.

"Fine," she said resignedly. She pointed her finger menacingly at Harry and said, "But no heroics."

Everybody grabbed their coats and headed out the door. They decided to split up to cover more ground. Anya, Giles, Xander, Willow, and Tara went in one direction, while the rest went in the opposite direction.

There had been no demons or vampires lurking about that evening. After two hours Buffy was about to suggest they head home when they heard a scream come from a nearby alley. They took off running towards it.

When they got there, a platinum blond man was attacking a young woman.

"Hey mate!" Spike called out. "I suggest you try pretending to be someone else next time."

The guys turned around and the girl took the opportunity to run off. "Who the hell are you?" He asked in a decidedly southern accent.

"Spike."  
"Can't be. I'm Spike! I traveled with the Scourge of Europe, slayed two slayers!"  
Dawn let a small giggle escape, she couldn't help it. Other than the platinum blond hair and the clothes, the guy looked nothing like Spike. He was several inches shorter and had an extra fifty pounds on him.

"Bloody hell! That wasn't you, that was me! You don't even have the right accent!" Spike sputtered.

He apparently pissed the pseudo Spike off because he swung at the real Spike, who easily ducked. The pseudo Spike kept clumsily attacking and Spike eventually got bored. He deftly kicked the pseudo Spike in the stomach, which knocked him to the back of the alley.

"Stupid git can't even fight, not worth the effort to stake him," Spike grumbled.

Dawn had a light bulb go off in her head, "Let Harry stake him."

Everyone turned to look at her in amazement.

"What? You guys are here so he can't get seriously injured. Plus, he needs some real practice."

Buffy narrowed her eyes for a moment then nodded her head. "Go ahead, Harry. Just remember that this isn't practice, it's for real. Aim for the heart."  
Harry swallowed nervously and pulled his stake from his back pocket. The vampire was finally emerging from the shadows. When the vampire was fully in view, Harry attacked.

His fist connected solidly with the vampire's face, knocking him back a step. The blond threw a backhand punch of his own the Harry barely blocked. He kicked the vampire in the stomach and as he doubled over in pain, Harry staked him through the back.

He stepped back and stared at the dust on his shoes in amazement. He had just killed his first vampire.

"Way to go Harry! I knew you could do it," Dawn said, jumping up and down.

"Wonder where the fake Dru is," Spike said to Buffy as he looked around.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," she said.


	32. Bronzing and Guests

Chapter Thirty-One

Bronzing and Guests

The next evening Spike stormed in through the door of the Summers' home and marched up the stairs muttering darkly to himself. Buffy came in after him laughing loudly.

"What happened?" Dawn asked from the couch.

"We found Druscilla."  
"How bad was she?"  
"A buxom blond with a Brooklyn accent," Buffy started giggling again. "She mistook the real Spike for the fake one."  
"You're joking?"  
Buffy shook her head.

"No wonder Spike looked pissed. I take it she's dust?"  
"Oh yeah. So what are you watching now?"  
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I think it was a mistake to introduce him to TV," she said indicating Draco who sat next to her with his eyes glued to the screen. "He found a soul mate with Simon on American Idol."

"Probably helps that he's British and insulting Americans."

A loud laugh came from Draco. "That man is a genius."

"What did he say now?" Dawn asked with a sigh.

"He told this git, 'Last year I told someone that they were the worst singer in the world. I think you are quite possible the worst singer in the universe.'"

"Very funny dear," Dawn said, then turned back to Buffy. "We need to do something to get him away from the TV."

"Bronzing tomorrow night?"  
Dawn's eyes brightened with excitement.

******

"What's taking them so long?" Draco grumbled as he stared at the blank TV screen. Buffy had forbidden him to watch it that day, something about it rotting his brains.

"They're girls," Spike said in answer.

"And remind me again why we went shopping for clothes to wear tonight," Draco said as he looked down at his muggle attire.

"Cause they're girls."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"The Bronze," Spike said. "It's really the only decent place in town to go if you're not a demon."

"And what do people do there?" Draco asked.

"Drink, dance, have fun. They have this wonderful thing called a bloomin' onion, delicious." Before he could expound on the wonders of said food; Buffy and Dawn came down the stairs. "Wearin' my favorite colors, luv."

Buffy had a blood red top with a deep v-neck. She had chosen as pair of black leather pants to wear with it. Seeing that Spike had opted for a tight, long sleeve blue shirt, she said, "Experimenting with other colors of the rainbow I see."

Draco didn't hear a word the pair said because all he was aware of was his angel. Her long hair was a mass of curls pulled artfully back from her face. Her tan suede skirt was long enough to be appropriate but short enough to enhance her long legs. She had purposely left the top couple of buttons on her light blue blouse unbuttoned.

Dawn smiled brightly at the good-looking man waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Buffy had outfitted him in a form fitting silvery gray shirt and black pants. Since he had noticed her attention to his hair when it wasn't slicked back he had left it loose and messy.

"Aren't you mister hot and sexy?" She said approvingly.

"You look bloody amazing," he whispered.

"Thank you," she said and awarded him with a quick peck on the cheek.

Harry watched them a bit enviously. He couldn't help but wish Ginny was there with him. He was beginning to think they would forget all about him when Dawn put her arm around his shoulder and said, "Let's go party!"

The Bronze wasn't very crowded that night. The cover band that was performing was playing everything from heavy metal to soft rock, with even a little country thrown in the mix.

Draco and Harry looked around in wonder. Harry had never been allowed out so he had never really experienced the muggle teen life. And Draco never knew places like this existed in the muggle world.

They quickly found the other scoobies and they pulled two tables together so they could all sit together. Spike promptly order a bloomin' onion and a beer while the rest ordered various sodas. Draco had taken an instant liking to the carbonated beverages.

Dawn pulled Harry and Draco out to dance and they were quickly laughing and having a good time. She thought it was funny that a couple of girls tried hitting on Harry, who just blushed and stammered that he was taken. 

It wasn't as amusing though when some blond placed herself between Dawn and Draco. The blond danced against Draco seductively. Dawn's eyes flashed fire and she had to force her magic down. She wanted to punch the girl, but instead she pulled the blond away from Draco and said, "Rude much. Hands off tramp, he's mine."

The girl arched an eyebrow, slightly amused. "Says who?"  
"Says me," Dawn said darkly.

"He's way too good for you," she said sinuously.

"It's the other way around," Draco said. "She's too good for me." He looked the blond up and down and brought out the Malfoy sneer. "But _I_ am definitely too good for you." Then he pulled Dawn to him who was smiling triumphantly.

The blond glared but stomped off.

"Do you really feel that way?" Dawn asked after a slow song started.

"What way?"  
"That I'm too good for you."  
"Everyday since the moment I laid eyes on you."  
"You shouldn't."  
"Why? I used to be a troublemaker, a spoiled brat, and a future death eater."  
"So? Doesn't make you less worthy as a man or of me."  
He felt his heart expand and he pulled her close.

They sat down after that song to take a break and get something to drink. Dawn couldn't help but giggle as she watched Harry dance with Xander and Willow. Poor Xander had never developed rhythm over the years.

Draco just sat there relishing in the feeling of having a normal night out. There was no threat of the Dark Lord or demons. Just a relaxing night with family and friends. And most importantly, Dawn was there with him. He didn't know how he got so lucky.

If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be dating a mudblood, working as a white hat, and spending his Christmas with muggles he would have laughed in their face. But here he was. He was exploring different parts of himself and the world and he was discovering that he liked what he found.

As he was relaxing, his ears picked up the lyrics of the song being sung. The words seemed to resonate everything he was feeling. He could only stare at the singer and soak in the song.

"Earth to Draco," Dawn said in his ear.

He jumped slightly and turned to her with wide eyes. "Listen to this song."  
"It's Metallica, so?"

"No. Listen to the words. It's damn near like they're singing about me."  
Realizing that he was serious, she closed her eyes and listened.

__

Never opened myself this way

Life is ours, we live it our way

All these words I don't just say

Trust I seek and I find in you

Everyday for us something new

Open mind for a different view

And nothing else matters.

~Oh my god.~ She said.

~Yeah.~ He paused before saying. ~You know I trust you with everything?~

She smiled beatifically at him and gently kissed him. ~I do and I'm honored.~

The rest of the night passed in a whirl of dancing and laughter.

******

The next night, Draco was learning how to play Monopoly with Dawn, Harry, Buffy, and Spike. He was finally getting the hang of it when there was a knock at the door. They all had a questioning look in their eyes as Buffy rose to answer it. Everyone who knew they were home wouldn't have bothered with knocking.

Buffy opened the door to see a man with long, shaggy black hair waiting patiently.

"Can I help you?" She asked warily.

"I was wondering if Harry was here," he said in a gravelly British accent.

Buffy's hand shot out and she grabbed the man by the throat. She swung him around until his back was against the house.

"Ok British guy. Who the hell are you?"  
The man pulled at the hand encircling his neck to no avail. She was squeezing so tight he couldn't answer.

The rest of the group had come through the door when they heard the commotion.

"Sirius!" Harry said, clearly surprised.

Buffy turned to look at the boy, never letting go of the strange man. "You know him?"  
"He's my godfather, you can let him go."  
She eyed the man carefully, but did as Harry asked.

The guy rubbed his neck and gulped air into his lungs. "Quite a grip you've got there. You must be the slayer."  
"And you're insane," she quipped. "Let's get you inside."  
After they had gotten inside Harry asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to spend some time with you."  
"Not that I'm complaining, but why didn't you tell me you were coming."  
"Didn't want the letter to fall into the wrong hands. Which reminds me, you should have been more careful with the one you sent me."  
"I know I was just so excited that I had to tell you." Dawn cleared her throat and Harry realized that he hadn't introduced everybody. "Everyone, this is my godfather Sirius Black."  
"He's a criminal," Draco said.

"No more than you are," Dawn said. She knew of Sirius' innocence. Harry had told the story to her over the summer.

"That's Dawn, and you've already met her sister Buffy. The older blond is Spike and the other is Malfoy."  
Sirius smiled sheepishly. "Sorry for barging in like this, but I haven't seen Harry in a while."  
Buffy smiled. "It's ok. A little warning would have prevented my violent side, but hey. How long are you staying?"

"Until just after Christmas. I can't stay in one place for too long."  
"Would you like to stay here? All we have left is the couch or a cot in the basement."  
He looked at her in surprise. He had been planning on staying in one of the caves on the outskirts of town. But her offer was too tempting. "The cot would be fine," he said gratefully.

********

The next couple of days passed quietly. Draco got more attached to the TV, Harry and Sirius spent some quality time together, and Dawn was able to catch up with her friends in Sunnydale. They were all sitting down to watch a movie when there was a knock at the door.

Buffy turned to Harry. "Expecting any other lost relatives?"

He just shook his head.

Spike grimaced when he opened the door. "Well if it isn't Captain Cardboard and the missus. Thanks for dropping by, see you later." He tried to shut the door, but the figure on the other side shot a hand out to stop him.

"Shut up Spike. I need to talk to Buffy."

"Riley?" Buffy asked when she heard the voice. She stood and walked over to the door. "What do you want?" She asked curiously.

"We need to talk, can we come in?"

Noting that the sun had set she replied, "I don't know, can you?"

With a roll of his eyes, Riley and his wife Sam crossed the threshold. "We're not vampires, can we talk?"  
"Sure, what's up?"

Riley suddenly noticed the strange people in the living room. "Who are they?"  
"Some friends," Buffy said.

"The blond is my nephew," Spike said, with no small amount of pride in his voice.

"Whatever Spike. You have no family," Riley said harshly.

Spike's eyes narrowed. "I suggest you take that back," he growled.

"Why? It's the truth. No one loves you."  
Riley and Sam were suddenly surrounded by people glaring at them.

"That is where you are wrong," Buffy said warningly. "Spike happens to be very loved and is part of a rather large family. It's a shame they aren't all here to stand by him, then you would really see."  
"See what? That he needs all of you to fight his battles for him?" Riley snarled. He was clearly upset that Spike had wormed his way into their hearts.

"I don't think so, _mate_," Spike growled as he vamped out. He landed a solid punch on Riley's jaw. "See the nice thing about being a warrior for the Powers is that you get rewarded sometimes. Guess what mine was."

"Your chip is out," Riley said, stunned.

"Yeah. The world is my buffet table once again; too bad I lost my appetite for it."  
Riley turned to Buffy. "And you've let him live? There's nothing to stop him from killing."

"Yes, there is," she said firmly. "Himself."

"Now that this little catch me up session is over, can we get back to why you are here?" Dawn asked impatiently.

"We've tracked a vampire called Druscilla here," Sam said. "Riley knew you've had run-ins with her in the past so we came to warn you."  
"Oh." Buffy said nonchalantly. "We dusted her several nights ago."  
"But she just got here last night," Riley said.

"Wait. Was she traveling with a bloke who was suppose to be me?" Spike asked.

"No, she was traveling with a group of minions," Riley answered.

"What she look like?" Buffy asked.

"Tall, painfully thin, dark curly hair. Oh, and she was carrying a doll."  
Buffy and Spike looked at each other in resignation. "Looks like she really is back," Spike said unenthusiastically.


	33. Druscilla

Chapter Thirty-Two

Druscilla

"Sirius, can you stay with them while we go look for Druscilla?" Buffy asked as she was grabbing weapons.

"Buffy we are old enough to take care of ourselves," Dawn said.

"I know, but we don't know what she's here for. I would just feel better knowing that there was someone here with you," Buffy explained.

"Can't we go with you?" Draco asked.

"No," Spike said firmly. "Dru is not a normal vampire. She can get inside your head and kill you without you lifting a hand to stop her."  
"But..."  
"No buts. You're staying, end of story."  
"If she comes here, don't even answer the door. And don't look in her eyes," Buffy ordered as she walked out the door with Spike, Riley, and Sam.

"Should we split up so we can cover more ground?" Sam asked.

"No, she's too dangerous," Buffy said.

"Buffy, we do fight demons for a living," Riley pointed out.

"Yes, but not like this one," Buffy sourly said.

"I think we should..."  
"Riley, this is my town, so I'm giving the orders. If you don't like it, then just leave. Again."

He didn't answer, but continued to follow her. They walked to the first cemetery in stony silence. After doing a quick check, they headed to the next one. Before long they had searched all of the cemeteries and had found nothing.

"Where else do you think she might be, Spike?" Buffy asked.

"Could check the Bronze and then maybe the mansion," he said.

The four made a quick pass through the nearly empty Bronze and then headed to Angel's old mansion on Crawford Street.

As they neared the mansion, Buffy said, "She may not be there, but someone is definitely home." They all looked up to see light shining through some of the windows.

"Peaches wouldn't be happy with someone in his place. Let's take care of it for him."

*******

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Draco whispered to Dawn as they followed the other four.

"I told you something doesn't feel right about them going alone. I have a hunch that we may be needed."  
"Potter and the mutt will find out pretty soon that we aren't upstairs snogging."

"Relax. They're bonding, they probably won't even know we've been gone."

*******

"Sirius, Buffy wanted us to stay here!" Harry exclaimed as his godfather headed out the door.

"That was when the other two were here. I'm going to find them."

"I'm coming with you," Harry said as he grabbed his wand and a coat.

Sirius morphed into his dog form and picked up Dawn and Draco's scents. He started running after them with Harry behind him.

*******

Draco and Dawn stealthily followed the other four into the mansion. They hung back as they watched them fan out to search the building.

Dawn's slayer side sensed them seconds before they attacked. Nearly thirty vampires stepped from the shadows and attacked the first four. Dawn and Draco needed to only glance at each other before jumping into the fray.

Through their link, Dawn and Draco slowly worked their way to the others. Dawn became aware of another presence in her head and she quickly identified it as Buffy. She looked over at her sister in time to see one of the vamps who had picked up a dropped ax swing it towards Buffy's neck.

~Buffy, duck!~

Buffy obeyed instantly and the ax neatly beheaded the vampire she was fighting. Taking advantage of its surprise, Buffy staked the vamp and neatly caught the ax as it fell.

Harry and Sirius arrived in time to see the last of the dust fall to the ground. Buffy glared at the unasked for help.

"I thought we told you to stay home."  
"Yeah? So? Since when did I ever listen?" Dawn glibly asked.

The blond slayer just rolled her eyes and turned to Spike. "Where would she be?"  
"The garden."  
The entire group made their way cautiously to the garden. They kept their senses open for another attack.

They found her in the middle of the garden. Druscilla stood there staring up at the stars holding Miss Edith. In the moonlight her smooth skin looked like porcelain and she stood so still that she could have been mistaken for a life-sized doll.

Spike held his hand up indicating them to stop and let him handle it. He took several steps forward and said, "Dru? Ducks?"

"Hello William," she said softly. "The stars and I have been waiting for you." She turned to face him and the others. "And you brought guests. Are we going to have a party?"

"No, Dru. What are you doing here?"

Druscilla whimpered quietly. "He calls to me. He calls to us all. The snake man."

"Voldemort," Harry hissed.

"But Miss Edith told me not to follow; he's a bad man. She told me to tell daddy, but I know he won't listen to the warning."

"What warning?" Spike asked softly.

She turned her eyes to Harry. "He goes after the boy that lives. He calls the demons to him so they can fight his war." She lifted her face to the stars. "He is a bad, nasty man."

Druscilla began to giggle. "He doesn't know the key that will stop him, only you know the key. The key that needs love and strength to win."

"What do you know about the key?" Buffy asked through gritted teeth.

The vampiress turned her seeing eyes to Dawn. "Such a pretty green, so pure. And something before it." Druscilla's eyes widened. "Best of two worlds in one."

She suddenly brought her hand to her head and whimpered. "He calls me, but Miss Edith says I must not go. Sand. So much sand. The sand will come alive and kill." She turned lucid eyes to Spike. "It must be stopped."

"We'll stop it pet," he said reassuringly.

"Make it stop. Daddy no longer wants me, mummy has left me again, and my Spike has found something effulgent. Please make it stop William, make it stop." She sunk to her knees and buried her face in Miss Edith's hair.

Spike turned to everyone and said, "You guys go ahead. I'll take care of Dru."

"Like hell will we leave you," Riley snapped.

The blond vamped and growled. "Don't make me hurt you, _boy_. She deserves far better than this."

"Riley, let's go," Buffy said firmly. As Riley and Sam left she turned back to Spike, "We'll be waiting outside. Take your time."

He nodded sadly.

Before Draco left, Druscilla called out, "The dawn will bring about the new day."  
"I'll remember that," Draco said before ducking out.

Spike and Druscilla were left alone in the garden. He knelt in front of her and looked her in the eye. "You sure this is what you want, luv?"

She nodded and said, "I have done all I was meant to do. My family is waiting."  
A tear slipped down Spike's cheek. "I did love you. Still do in a way."

Druscilla reached out and gently brushed the tear away. "I know. I loved you too." She whimpered again. "The voices are too much. Make it stop."

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead then drove the stake home. He closed his eyes before the dust fell so he would never have to remember what she looked like at that moment.

Spike exited the mansion shortly afterward and soon found himself hugged by two Summers' women. He held both of them close, savoring the love he felt for and from them.

When he let go, Buffy turned to Riley and Sam and said, "We're done for the night. See you guys later." She turned to Harry and Draco. "Let's go home. You too mutt," she said to the large black dog.

They left the demon hunting couple standing there.

*********

The entire scooby gang met at Buffy's house the next morning. Xander had proudly entered carrying several boxes of doughnuts.

"What happened?" Giles asked after everyone had grabbed a doughnut and sat down.

"Riley showed up last night," Buffy said.

"Really? What did he want?" Willow asked.

"To warn us that Druscilla was in town. We explained that we had dusted the fake one several nights before. But this one was real."  
"Did you find her?" Giles asked.

"She was at the mansion."  
"Did ya dust her?" Xander asked.

Spike growled low in his throat.

"She told us some interesting tidbits," Buffy said, ignoring Xander. "Apparently Moldy Wart is calling demons to his side so they can kill Harry."

"How is he calling them?" Tara asked.

"I don't know, but she kept saying she heard him and would hold her head," Buffy said.

They all looked at Spike.

"What?"

"Do you hear a call?" Willow asked.

"No. Maybe Peaches knows something."  
"Peaches?" Sirius asked.

"Angel," Buffy said. "He's Spike's sire. He has a group in L.A. like us."

"I'm sure he would notice if the amount of demon activity had dropped." Giles reasoned.

"I'll call him after the meeting," Buffy said. She opened her mouth to say more but was stopped by a knock at the door. "Spike, will you get that please."

The vampire rose and crossed to the door. He opened it to reveal a surprised Riley.

"How are you in the sun?" He demanded.

"Magic," Spike said casually. "What do you want now?"

"To talk to Buffy."  
"What if she doesn't want to?" Spike asked.

"Spike," Buffy said reproachfully as she came up beside him. She turned to Riley, "What?"

"Can we talk? Alone?"

"We're in the middle of a meeting."  
"It won't take long, I promise."  
"Fine," she said. "I'll be right back guys."

The two stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind them.

"Buffy, I just don't understand."  
"Understand what?"

"Why you're still with him, why they accept him, how he can walk in the sun and not turn to dust."  
"It's really none of your business so I'm only going to explain this once. I love him, he makes me happy. The others saw this, coped, and learned to love him in their own way."  
"He'll only hurt you in the end."  
"Like you didn't?"  
"Buffy, that's not fair..."  
"Oh, I think it is. You told me you loved me, and then you left me. I think we're officially though. Next time you want to warn me about a demon, just call and leave a message." She walked through the door and shut it in his face.

She sat back down in the living room and asked, "Now where were we?"  
"You were, uh, telling us what Druscilla said," Giles answered.

"She said something about the key stopping him, but he didn't know about it. Which means he doesn't know about Dawn."  
"That's a relief," Xander said.

"Did she say anything else about the key?" Willow asked.

"That the key needed love and strength."  
"Oh, and I had the best of both worlds," Dawn piped up. "Whatever that means."

"You took her with you?" Giles asked, concern written on his features.

"No," Buffy said in an exasperated tone. "They snuck out and showed up."  
"Did she say anything else?" Giles asked as he cleaned his glasses.

"Yeah. Something about the sand will come alive and kill," Spike said.

"Could that be some sort of spell?" Tara asked.

"Or a demon?" Sirius asked.

"I'm afraid only research will answer that," Giles said.

Xander groaned. "Come on, G-man. It's Christmas vacation. Can't it wait?"

"Of course, Xander. I'll speak to Voldemort and all the demons to see if they'll postpone their plans so we can relax," Giles said dryly.

"There was something else about last night that bothers me," Buffy said thoughtfully.

"What?" Spike asked.

She turned her attention to Dawn. "You spoke to me in my head. How?"

Dawn had the decency to look abashed. "I don't really know. I had an idea that I might be able to."  
"Why?"  
"Cause I've been able to talk to Draco like that since Hogsmeade."

"And _when_ were you planning on telling us this?" Spike demanded.

Dawn just shrugged her shoulders.

"Can you do it with anyone else?" Willow asked.

"I don't know; I've never tried."

"Try it now," the redhead urged.

The brunette nodded her head and closed her eyes. She tried to talk to each one in the room, but the only ones who heard her were Buffy and Draco. She opened her eyes and told them so.

"I wonder why?" Tara asked.

"Because they were the ones Galadriel told me to trust probably," Dawn said simple. "That makes the most sense."  
"Who's Galadriel?" Sirius asked.


	34. Christmas

Chapter Thirty-Three

Christmas

After catching Sirius up with Dawn's background, Buffy went to call Angel.

"We help the hopeless," came a cheery voice from the other end.

"Hey Cordy. Can I talk to Angel?" Buffy asked.

"Sure, hang on for a sec."  
Buffy heard Cordelia set the phone down and start bellowing for Angel. The slayer considered herself lucky that the half demon seer had set the phone down before she had begun yelling.

Shortly the phone was picked up and she heard Angel's voice on the other end. "Hey Buffy."

"How's business?"

"Slow actually. It's like all the demons are leaving town."

"Really? I was just calling to ask you about that. We had a run-in with Druscilla." She quickly recounted the events of the previous night.

"We'll look into it also. Lorne, Cordy, and I haven't heard anything calling us though. I'll call you when we learn anything," Angel assured her.

"We're going back to Hogwarts after New Years," Buffy informed him.

"Then I'll send an owl. If you need us just let us know."

"Thanks Angel."  
"No problem. Bye."

"Bye." Buffy went back to the living room and told them about the demons in L.A.

"Guess that leaves us to the books," Willow said.

******

Several nights later, Buffy and Spike laughed as they headed up the walk to their home. They had told everyone that they were going patrolling, but in reality they had gone out to dinner to spend some time alone. Plus, Buffy was doing it in effort to cheer him up. He had been rather quiet since the night he had dusted Druscilla. It was quite late when they finally started home.

As they walked through the door, Spike put his finger to his lips and pointed to the sofa. Buffy looked to see two figures snuggled together, soundly asleep. There were books scattered all over the floor and one was still limply held in Dawn's hands.

"Should we wake them?" Buffy asked as she looked lovingly at Dawn and Draco.

"Nah, let 'em sleep." Spike whispered.

"But, it's really not proper."

"Like you never spent the night in your boyfriend's arms at her age. They're not doing anything but sleeping. Let them be."

Buffy considered it then nodded her head. She took Spike's hand and silently led him up the stairs, leaving the sleeping couple on the sofa.

The next morning, Dawn awoke with the awareness that she was not alone. She felt someone pressed against her back and strong arms holding her. She remembered how she had been researching with Draco the night before. They must have fallen asleep. She smiled and snuggled closer to his warmth.

Draco woke as he felt the body next to him more. At first he thought it was Potter intruding on his side of the bed again and was going to shove him to the other side. Then he realized that the body was decidedly female and smelled like Dawn. He tightened his embrace and buried his face in her hair.

"Mornin'," she mumbled.

"Definitely a good one," he murmured. "This is nice."

"Uh huh," she said sleepily.

"Should do this more often," he said contentedly as he reveled in sharing his first moments of the day with her.

"Have to figure out a way to arrange it," she agreed.

They laid there for several moments just enjoying the feeling of being together. Before long they heard someone more about in the kitchen and the smell of coffee brewing reached their noses.

"Suppose it's time to get up," Dawn said regretfully.

"No, a little longer," Draco argued, holding her tighter.

******

Not wanting to ruin the students' entire vacation, Buffy insisted that they took a day off from researching to do whatever they wished. So Dawn drug the boys to the mall to finish up their Christmas shopping.

She drug them from store to store and then left the boys alone together so she could buy their presents. The two looked at each other in barely masked disdain.

"Got Dawn a present yet, Potter?"

"No, you?"

"No." They stood there for another moment before Draco said, "Suppose we could shop together."

"Suppose we could," Harry said evenly.

With a nod to each other, they began their own shopping. When Dawn met up with them later, the two were grinning madly at each other.

"What did you two do?" She asked suspiciously.

"Who us?" Draco asked innocently. He turned to Harry. "What did we do?"

"Nothing but shop," he replied just as innocently.

"We may have turned a few heads with our dashing looks," Draco admitted lightly.

"Maybe broke a few hearts," Harry said sagely.

"Or even caused a fight or two," Draco added.

"I ask again, what did you two do?" Dawn demanded.

The two looked at each other and began laughing.

"On the other hand, I don't think I want to know. As long as you two are getting along," she said reluctantly.

On their way home Harry and Draco regaled her with their tale. Apparently some girls had hit on them, but they had boyfriends. When the boyfriends had shown up they got upset with Harry and Draco. But they had talked their way out of it and had turned the situation around. The boyfriends had ended up fighting each other.

When they got home they quickly wrapped the gifts they had bought and Dawn popped in a movie.

"What did you put it?" Harry asked.

"Much Ado About Nothing," she answered.

"What's it about?" Draco asked.

"Just watch."

The three quickly got caught up in the love between Hero and Claudio. Beatrice and Benedick's battle of wits made them laugh. But what really got their attention, was how the warring couple was brought together.

"It's a shame we couldn't do that to Ron and Hermione," Harry said quietly to himself.

"What?" Dawn asked.

"I know Ron likes Hermione, but she only sees him as a friend," he explained.

"How do you know that?"  
"Ron told me he liked her."

"She likes him too."

Harry sat up. "She told you that?"

"No. But any fool can tell she does. She watches him when she thinks no one is looking. She's more open to his ideas than others. Not to mention all the fighting they do."

"Do you think?" Harry began.

"We could do it. We just need some help." She looked at Draco.

"What?" He asked.

"Help us get Ron and Hermione together."  
"What's in it for me?"  
"Deceit and trickery."

His ears perked up. "What's the plan?"

********

Christmas morning dawned bright and clear. Dawn pouted because Buffy refused to let her open any presents until the rest of the scooby gang arrived.

She didn't have to wait long, though. The gang soon came through the door carrying food and presents. Everyone quickly settled in the living room around the Christmas tree.

Draco was slightly amazed at the number of presents that were for him. There were none, unsurprisingly, from his parents. They were all from his new friends and family.

Harry was equally surprised by the number of presents he received. He was even more surprised when the first one he opened was from Draco. He opened it cautiously to reveal a baseball hat with a wizard on it. He turned to Draco with a question in his eyes.

The blond looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Saw the other guys at the mall wearing them."  
He gave Draco a small smile in thanks and turned back to his other presents. He got his customary Weasley sweater, another broom maintenance kit from Ron, and a book on quidditch techniques from Hermione. Ginny had gotten him a book also, it was on famous aurors.

Buffy and Spike's gift surprised him a little. It was an ornate dagger with the Gryffindor shield engraved on the blade. He looked up to see that Draco and Dawn had each received one. Draco's had both the Slytherin and the Malfoy shield on the blade, while Dawn's had the Malfoy shield and a heart with a stake in it.

Dawn had gotten him some clothes that fit, and Giles got him a book on demonology. But the best gift had come from Sirius; it was his parents' old diaries. He hugged Sirius with tears in his eyes.

Draco was having the best time opening his own gifts. He was just as surprised as Harry was, when the blond had noticed he had received a gift from the boy who lived. It was a pair of wicked looking sunglasses, much like the ones Neo had worn in the Matrix movie they had watched.

Ginny had given him a Weasley sweater, which seemed to tickle Dawn to no end. Until he had realized she had been sent one too in the same color. The only way to tell the two green sweaters apart was that Draco's D was silver while Dawn's was orange.

Dawn had showered him with gifts. She gave him a muggle photo of him with his new family, a bunch of new clothes, and several Metallica cds. After he had opened the cds, he looked at her curiously.

"They sing that song you liked at the Bronze. Figured you might like more of their music."

His heart swelled at the knowledge that she had taken such care in picking out his gifts. His parents had used to just buy him what he had asked for. He pulled her into a big hug and said, "Thank you."

Dawn went back to opening her own presents. Ron and Ginny had pulled together and bought her a meditation crystal. Hermione had somehow found a book on Middle Earth, it was priceless and Dawn made a mental note to really thank her when they got back. She grinned when she opened Harry's gift. It was a stuffed animal in the shape of a snake. It even had a nametag, Draco.

Draco's gifts had nearly left her speechless. He had gotten her a journal to record all of her work and experiments with her newfound magic. But her favorite was a delicate silver bracelet with small green emeralds in it. It was absolutely stunning. After he put it on her, she gave a squeal of delight and threw her arms around him.

When all of the present opening and thank yous were through, they all piled into the dining room. Everyone sat down and laughed and talked about the past year and all the changes it had brought.

Harry was enjoying himself as much as the times spent with the Weasleys. While this group wasn't bound entirely by blood, they were bound by something just as strong. Love.

They loved and cared for each other. Sure they had their differences, but it never stopped them from pulling together. He was thrilled to be part of this group.

Draco was seeing what a real family should act like. At his parents' house, everyone was always so restrained. Sure he was showered with presents every Christmas, but he had never truly enjoyed the holiday until now. He caught Harry's eye, and they shared a knowing look. They both knew they were damn lucky to be there.

*******

The next day, Sirius was in the basement gathering what few belongings he had brought. Harry came down the stairs, sat on the cot, and watched him in silence.

"I wish you didn't have to go," he said finally.

Sirius sat down next to him. "I know Harry. I wish I didn't have to either. But you know I can't stay in one place too long. It's too risky, even here in the states." Sirius said with a sigh.

Harry nodded in understanding. "We'll figure out a way to clear your name."

"But until then..."  
"Yeah."

They sat in silence until Harry threw his arms around Sirius. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Harry."


	35. Much Ado

Chapter Thirty-Four

Much Ado

A couple of days after New Years, the scooby gang returned to Hogwarts well rested and ready to face the second half of the school year. The others had returned the day before.

Once everyone had unpacked, Buffy called a meeting to inform Dumbledore and the others of what they had learned from Druscilla. The entire group, plus professors Snape and McGonagall gathered in the headmaster's office.

After Buffy had told them all they had learned, Snape asked, "Why didn't you come back as soon as you killed her?"

"Because there was no need," Spike said evenly.

"No need? You learned that he's gathering demons to kill the boy!"

"There was no evidence to prove they knew where Harry was," Giles explained patiently.

"Then how did Druscilla find you then?" Snape asked with a sneer.

Giles eyes flashed as the Ripper in him fought to escape. "Do you know nothing about vampires?"

"They're demons and they survive by draining their victims of blood. What else is there to know?"

"You stupid pillock. No wonder you aren't teaching defense."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Druscilla is Spike's sire; therefore they share a blood bond. Couple that with the fact that she is a seer. All she had to do was use those abilities to find her childe."

"I believe that is enough, Rupert," Albus said. 

Giles turned his gaze away from Snape and slowed his breathing in effort to calm himself.

Snape made a move to say more but he was stopped by the headmaster raising a hand to silence him. 

"They were quite justified in their decision. I probably would have made the same one if I were in their position. What concerns me is the sand she mentioned."  
"We've been researching both spells and demons," Willow informed him.

"I must say that I have never heard of a spell that could do what she described," Minerva said.

"Nor have I heard of a demon fitting the description," Giles said.

"I suggest we continue the research then," Albus said. He turned to Spike and Anya. "Perhaps the two of you could try your demon contacts."  
"Angel is also doing research in L.A.," Buffy supplied. "He promised to owl as soon as he learned anything."

"Very well. If there is nothing else you are excused." Everyone but Buffy and Spike rose and filed out of the room. "I take it there is something else you wish to discuss."

"Yeah. We didn't want to say this in front of the kids, but we're worried he's going to attack the school," Spike said.

"If we can narrow down the time frame we'd like to invite some friends to come help us," Buffy added.

"We can have a cover story that they're here for show and tell for the classes."

"That's acceptable. We could also station some aurors about the castle," Dumbledore said.

"I suggest that we not breath a word of this to any of the students. The less who know the better," Spike told him.

"Why?"

"Kids have a tendency to spout off at the mouth without paying attention to their environment. Plus, the off chance any of them are his supporters or their parents are."

"I agree."  
"There's something else," Buffy said delicately.

"Yes?"

"We'd like to make some changes to our training sessions."

********

"Tell me again, why am I visiting him?" Draco grumbled to Dawn as he followed the five Gryffindors across school grounds.

"Because we haven't seen him since before we left," Dawn said.

They quickly reached the hut at the edge of the forest. They knocked on the door and they were soon greeted by the half giant.

"A merry Christmas to all of you," he said as all but Draco rushed in to hug him. "Come on in, I jus' put water on for tea."  
They got seated and shared the events that happened over Christmas. While everyone talked, Draco sat quietly in the corner, looking out the window.

"Whas' the matter with 'im?" Hagrid asked.

"He's just mourning the loss of television, vcrs, dvds, and cds," Harry said with a shrug.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Draco became very attached to several muggle inventions," Harry explained.

Ron and Hermione just stared at Harry.

"What?"

"You just called him Draco," Ron said with wide eyes.

"Despite popular opinion, Weasley. I do have a first name. Harry has just learned to use it."

They turned to stare at Draco.

"When did you two become chummy?" Ron asked.

"Tends to happen when you're forced to share a room for several weeks. Not to mention shopping trips."  
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "That _was _fun."

Their friends could just stare at them in amazement.

********

Before dinner, Dawn pulled Hermione off to the side. "'Mione, I just wanted to thank you for the book. Where did you find it?"

"I always shop at rare book stores. It was stuck in a corner covered with dust. The owner didn't even know it was there. It was really just luck that I found it," she said simply. As she headed to the Great Hall she said, "I'm glad you liked it."

Dawn watched her with a sly smile. She had a feeling that luck had nothing to do with it. The handwriting in the book looked suspiciously like Galadriel's.

********

The next day was the last day before classes started again. Dawn, Harry, and Draco were able to pull Ginny away from everyone to discuss their plans for Ron and Hermione.

"Are you sure they like each other?" Ginny asked.

"Ron told me he does. He's just afraid that if he says anything to her and she doesn't feel that way then things will get weird."  
"Which is totally understandable," Dawn said.

"But what about Hermione?"

"Oh come on Gin. Don't tell me you haven't noticed. She'll sit next to him before others, she leans in when they talk, she's always watching him. It's obvious."

"I don't know," she said hesitantly.

"Come on. It'll be fun." Draco said.

"Where did you get this idea again?"  
"From a movie," Dawn answered.

"You sure they won't get mad at us if it doesn't work?"

"Gin, they won't even realize that we had a hand in it. Trust me, it'll work. After all, my last plan worked."  
"What plan?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Ginny said with a blush. "Alright, I'm in."

********

Hermione was walking back to her room after she had checked some books out of the library the next day. As she approached the room she shared with Ginny she noticed the door was slightly ajar. She could hear voices drifting out and she stopped when she heard Dawn's voice.

"Are you sure he likes Hermione?"  
"Yes," came Ginny's voice.

Hermione wasn't one who liked to eavesdrop, but since they were talking about her she saw little problem with it. Plus, she had the feeling that if she went in they would stop talking and she wouldn't know who liked her.

"How do you know?" Dawn was saying.

"Harry told me that Ron liked Hermione."

Hermione gasped, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Could it really be possible that he liked her?

"What's he going to do about it?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing," Ginny said with a big sigh.

"Why?"

"Because he believes that he's not good enough for her."

"What do you mean?"

"You know Ron," Ginny said. "He's always felt inferior next to Harry and Hermione. Harry because of how famous he is, and Hermione because of how smart she is. He thinks she deserves someone better than a, and I quote, 'dumb guy with nothing to offer her'."

"Well it's not like Hermione sees him that way," Dawn pointed out.

"True. All she ever does is argue with him."  
"What did Harry tell him to do?"  
"To get over her cause she'll never see him like that."

"You're probably right. Are you hungry?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. Let's go get a snack."

Hermione scrambled to hide herself in another hallway until Dawn and Ginny had walked past her. She numbly walked back to her room and dropped her bag on the floor. She sat on her bed with a soft plop.

Ron saw her as more than a friend? Could it really be true? She felt her heart start beating faster at the thought. If he did, then he was not alone in his affections.

But how was she to let him know that she cared for him back. She would have to figure out a ways to show him that he was just as smart as she was. He would never believe that she liked him until he believed that first.

A smile suddenly broke out on her face. He found her attractive! She wasn't quite the misfit that she always thought of herself as.

Meanwhile, Dawn and Ginny were quietly congratulating themselves as they headed to the common room. As they walked by Harry and Draco who were playing chess they gave them a discreet thumbs up. As the two girls made their way down the hall, they past Ron on his way to the Tower.

~He's on the way.~ Dawn said.

~We're ready.~

~Have fun!~

Ron walked into the Gryffindor common room to see a strange sight. Harry and Draco were calmly playing chess in a corner of the room. The redhead never thought he'd see the day in which the two of them would actually get along.

Too tired to cause trouble, he tried to quietly walk by them. Since neither looked up to note his passing, he headed up the stairs that they were sitting near.

"Are you going to tell Ron?" Draco asked.

Ron stopped when he heard his name.

"What? That Hermione fancies him?" Harry asked.

The redhead's breath stopped as he heard the words exit his friend's mouth.

"Yeah."  
"No."  
"Why not?" Draco asked.

"Because I think he's gotten over his little crush on her. Besides, you've seen how they argue now. Can you imagine what it would be like if they were dating?"

"But Dawn told me that her fighting with him was just a way to hide her feelings."

"Ginny told me the same thing. Still...."

"Think Granger will say anything to him about it?"

"No, she's way too shy about those things. The only way they'd get together was if Ron made the first move. And I know he won't do that."

"Can you believe the potions homework Snape gave us?" Draco asked, changing the subject.

Their talk faded into the background as Ron began to fully comprehend what he had just heard. He was finding it hard to believe that she would want him. But if Dawn _and_ Ginny told them, then it must be true.

He began to think back on all of the arguments they had over the school year. They had been over childish and petty things. It seemed they argued just for the sake of arguing. And if the number of times she got upset with him was any indication, then she must like him a lot.

But what was Harry talking about when he said that he had gotten over his crush? True, he hadn't said anything to Harry about it since school started, but that didn't mean his feelings had changed. This was no schoolboy crush. He was quite sure that this was love.

Since Hermione wouldn't do or say anything about her feelings then that meant it was up to him to do something. But what? The only other girl he had been remotely attracted to was Fleur Delacour during his fourth year.

He was going to have to do something though. There was no way he was going to let her slip away from him without a fight.


	36. About Love

Chapter Thirty-Five

About Love

Buffy and Spike stood with grim faces in front of the students who were waiting for their extra training session to start. They all sensed that what the two instructors were about to say was serious.

"We've talked to the headmaster and he's letting us alter these sessions slightly. Ron and Dawn, from now on you're here with us every night. You'll need to talk to Willow about your other extra training," Spike said.

"We gave each of you a dagger for Christmas," Buffy continued. "We're going to start training you with those and other weapons. And when the opportunity arises, you will have other opponents." 

"Ones that you don't have to worry about being gentle with. Like this one here," And Spike pulled a medium sized scaly demon out of the shadows. Spike must have put some sort of binding spell on it cause it didn't move.

The students, for the most part, didn't make a sound at the sudden appearance of the demon. Although Neville and Hermione did jump a little.

Ron stared at the demon with wide eyes. "You want us to fight that thing?"

"Yes, and others like it," Buffy answered.

"Why?"

"Because you never know what you'll be up against in the real world. This is an excellent opportunity for those of you who are thinking of becoming aurors," Spike told them.

"When you face a demon, or anyone else, don't judge solely on what you see. If you do that, you're dead," Buffy said.

"It's one of the things Buffy has goin' for her. They see a tiny girl, an easy kill. They don't realize until it's too late the power she packs in her small frame," Spike said. "Now, whenever we have you fight one of these demons you're allowed to use whatever you think is necessary, this includes weapons and magic."

"Since Dawn and Draco have the most experience because they have been patrolling with us, they're going to be the ones to fight tonight. I want the rest of you to watch and learn." Buffy motioned the two to stand and approach the demon. She continued, "You have to know your strength and weaknesses along with your partner's."

Dawn and Draco pulled out their daggers that they had been told ahead of time to bring. Spike released the spell holding the demon and it attacked. The two began moving in sync attacking and ducking.

"The rest of you aren't as lucky as these two," Spike said as they continued to fight. "You aren't linked, but if you do know each other, then it won't matter."

"You can't think too much, reacting is better. You need to know your environment," Buffy instructed as they watched. "Know what's around you and how to use it."

~Damn, he's a tough bugger.~

~Screw this.~ Dawn said. ~Draw his attention for a moment.~

~Can do.~ Draco landed a punch pulling the scaly demon's attention to him.

Dawn took advantage of the distraction to access her powers. She held out her hand and said, "Macil." One of the swords flew off the wall and into her outstretched hand. She quickly decapitated it.

"Ewww," Hermione said as she scrunched her nose.

Dawn and Draco crossed over to the others.

"Nice choice," Buffy commented.

"Daggers weren't getting it done; the skin was too tough," Dawn said with a shrug.

"Always expect the unexpected," Spike said as the demon grabbed Dawn and threw her across the room.

"We just saw her kill it!" Ron yelled.

"Funny thing about Burak demons, they grow back missing body parts, even heads, in a matter of minutes," Spike said drolly.

"Thanks for the heads up!" Draco called as he pulled the demon off of Dawn. "Any hints on how to kill the bastard?"

"Think boy!" Spike barked. "I won't always be there to help you! What else will kill it?"

Draco wrestled with the demon as he racked his brains for answers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dawn stir from where the demon had knocked her out. He doubled his efforts to give her time to fully come to.

He ducked a swing and somersaulted over to the sword. He picked it up and turned in time to stab the demon in the gut. The answer suddenly came to him. ~Fire!~

~Huh?~ She asked groggily.

~Set the bugger on fire!~

~Oh. One crispy demon coming up.~ She squinted her eyes in concentration then called out, "Usteä." The demon burst into flame and then fell to the floor in a pile of ash.

Draco turned to the severed head to see that it had grown shoulders and a torso. He pulled out his wand and said, "Incendio!" It quickly burned and turned to ash.

He rushed over to Dawn, "Are you ok? Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey?" He asked with concern written on his face.

"Nah, just a little bump on my head. I'll be alright."  
Once he was assured of Dawn's well-being, Draco turned to glare at his uncle. "You could have told us."

"And what would have happened if you met him one night when I wasn't there to tell you? You always have to be on your guard and know your options. If not, you're dead," Spike said evenly.

"We had warned you about misjudging others," Buffy reminded him. "I think that's enough for tonight. Remember to bring your daggers from now on. You guys can go. Dawn and Draco need to stay though."

"What's up?" Dawn asked after everyone else had left. She gently touched the bump on the back of her head and winced.

"You sure you're ok?" Draco asked.

"Yeah."  
"Thought maybe we'd work on our connections," Buffy said.

Dawn nodded and the three sat down on the mats. "What part of our connections did you want to work on?"  
"To see if Draco and I can connect, and to see how deep they go," Buffy said.

The three seemed to instinctively shut their eyes as one and took a deep breath. Dawn reached out to Draco first and instantly connected. She then reached out to Buffy; the connection came a little slower than Draco's, but came quickly enough.

Inside the connection Draco and Buffy could communicate but as soon as Dawn would pull her awareness from them, they lost it.

~It seems you are the key to our connection.~ Buffy said dryly.

~Ha ha.~ Dawn sent back.

~Let's find out how deep this goes.~ Buffy said.

Dawn reached into Buffy first. As she concentrated she became aware of yet another presence. It wasn't as strong as Buffy and Draco's, but was still there. She opened her eyes and gasped when she figured out who it was.

"What?" Draco asked.

"You didn't tell me about that," Dawn accused Buffy.

"Didn't tell you what?" Draco asked.

The brunette turned her attention to her boyfriend. "That she and Spike are linked."

He turned to face Buffy, "Like the way we are?"

"Not quite," Buffy said uneasily. "We do have a connection through the claim."

"Claim? What claim?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, you never did fully explain it."  
Buffy sighed. "It's a ritual commonly performed between vampires who are not in the same line."  
"Line?" Draco asked.

"Family line. Kind of like Malfoy or Weasley. Spike is in the Order of Aurelius. The claim is a blood bond, which involves a blood exchange."

"You exchanged blood," Dawn said incredulously. "Does that mean you drank his?"  
She just nodded her head.

"Wait! You drank from Dracula, doesn't that mean the two of you were...whatever?"  
"No. There's this whole ritual thingie involved. It's actually a long process. In the end we're bound together. We can't talk to each other in our heads, but we are always aware of where the other one is."

"Cool," Dawn whispered.

"We are able to pull from each other and as a result we're both faster and stronger. I'll also age slower."  
"What if you suddenly decide you don't want to be together anymore?" Draco asked.

"We'd stay bonded. The only way to break it is if one of us dies and even then it's not a pretty picture."

"Why?"

"The other one may not survive cause in reality it feels as if part of you has been ripped away," Buffy told him seriously.

"Must really love him, huh?" Draco said quietly.

"Yeah, I do."

They sat there in quiet contemplation for a while. "Why don't you two go on back to your rooms. I think we're done for the night," Buffy said finally.

The two nodded and went to their separate houses.

*******

That Saturday, Ron walked into the scooby room after he had finished his transfiguration homework. He absently noted that he was the last one to arrive for that day's research party. He didn't think much of it since he was usually late.

An idea popped in his head when he saw that Hermione was sitting by herself on one of the smaller couches. He picked up a random book off the table and sat close enough to her that whenever she turned a page her arm brushed against his.

She looked up at him and gave him a soft smile, which he gladly returned. She turned her attention back to the book in her lap and he opened his and started reading.

Some time later, Dawn nudged Harry with her foot. When he turned to look at her, she gestured her head in the direction of the couch. A huge grin broke out on his face when he saw his two best friends.

At some point in time, Ron had put his arm around Hermione's shoulders and she had snuggled up to him. He was absently playing with her hair as the two continued their reading. They were completely oblivious to the others' stares.

Harry and Dawn exchanged triumphant looks then resumed their own research.

Hermione was finding it hard not to fall asleep she was so warm and relaxed. She had no idea that just sitting in his arms could make her feel so safe. She no longer doubted that he like her too, but she needed to let him know that she reciprocated.

She discreetly looked around at the others and saw that they sere all deeply immersed in their books. Making a decision she twisted so she could look up into Ron's face.

"What?" He asked softly.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?"  
Surprise was in his eyes as he asked, "Now?"

"Yes now," she whispered.

"But we're researching."  
"So?"

Ron opened and closed his mouth several times in shock before finally saying, "Okay."

Dawn observed them while surreptitiously looking over her book. When they had left the room she squealed.

Buffy looked up, "What? You found something?"

"Umm, no."

"Then what?"

"Nothing. Just felt like squealing."  
~What's going on?~ Buffy asked.

~Don't worry about it.~

The slayer gave her a look that clearly said she didn't believe her but she wasn't going to push.

In the corridor Ron and Hermione were walking in silence, both blithely unaware that they were holding hands. Now that they were alone they were suddenly unsure of how to proceed.

"How are your wicca sessions going?" Hermione asked.

"Good. Willow and Tara said that I'm balancing my powers well."

"That's great, Ron. I'm really proud of you."  
"Thanks. It's a lot of fun."

They walked in silence again until Ron stopped and turned so they were facing each other. "'Mione."

"Yes?" She asked softly.

"I want to tell....you that, umm..."

"What?" She asked with interest. She could feel her heart start beating faster.

Ron stared into her brown eyes and he lost all hope for speech. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him and that he was pretty sure that he loved her. "Tell you that... I....I..."

Hermione realized that he was trying to tell her what she wanted to say to him. She found herself tongue-tied for the first time in her life. She decided to act on impulse and pulled him down for a kiss.

His eyes opened wide in surprise. But once his brain caught up he closed them and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss.

She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. She realized she was in heaven. The kiss was everything she had hoped for and more.

When they finally broke the kiss they stayed close. Ron rested his forehead on Hermione's.

"You were saying?" Hermione asked.

"Merlin, I've dreamed about doing that."  
"Really?"

"Yeah." He pulled back enough so he could look into her eyes. "'Mione, would you be my girl?"  
"I thought you'd never ask," she replied as she reached up for another kiss.


	37. Surprises

Chapter Thirty-Six

Surprises

Later that night, Dawn met with Willow and Tara for one of her key training sessions. She cheerfully entered the room and sat down with a huge cheshire cat grin plastered on her face.

"What did you do?" Willow asked suspiciously.

"Nothing bad. Actually, it was quite of the good."

"Uh huh," Willow said skeptically.

"Let's just say I helped some friends find the light so to speak."

"Ron and Hermione," Tara said knowingly.

Dawn nodded her head so hard it almost fell off. "Aren't they cute?"

"We were wondering how long it would take them," Tara said with a smirk.

Willow smiled and said, "Try to keep that good attitude after we tell you our news."

"What news?" Dawn asked curiously.

"We've taught you everything we can about your Elven magic. The only thing that Tara and I can come up with for explaining why you learned it so quickly is because you already knew."

"Huh?"

"We think that parts of Nerdanal's memories are still in you and you just don't realize it."

"Think about it Dawnie," Tara said. "How else would you have known Elvish?"

"We think that these sessions have given you access to these memories and that's why you've picked this up so easily," Willow finished.

Dawn thought about it then nodded, "Makes sense. So I don't need these lessons anymore then, right?"

"Actually, no."

"What do you mean, no? You just said you've taught me everything."

"We'd like to give you opportunities to practice. We wouldn't need to meet more than once a week," Tara explained.

"And we would also like to teach you how to use the key to open portals," Willow said hesitantly.

"Isn't that dangerous and require someone's death?" Dawn asked.

"Glory didn't know how to correctly use your power," Tara said. "We read over your translation and you don't need to use your blood to open a portal to a specific dimension."  
"It's real similar to doing anything else with your Elven magic. It just requires more concentration."

"Oh, well then, let's give it a whirl."

"You need to visualize the dimension you want, dig into the power of the key, and then will the portal open."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Willow answered.

"So which dimension do I want?"

"Oh! How about the one where shrimp don't exist," Tara suggested.

"Is it real?" Dawn asked.

"Anya told us it was."

"There's a reliable source," Dawn muttered. "Ok. One portal to a world without shrimp coming up."

She closed her eyes and visualized the dimension she wanted. She quickly dove into her Elven powers and then went deeper to access the key. She knew she had found it when she was surrounded in a warm green energy. Druscilla had been right, it was pure. She found herself to be quite content to just be.

"Dawn!" Came an urgent voice on the fringe of her awareness. "Dawn! You have to wake up!" She vaguely recognized the voice as belonging to her friend Willow. She didn't understand why it was so important for her to wake up, she was quite happy floating in the green energy.

"Please Dawn! You have to come back to us!" Tara's voice said, a little stronger and more persistent than Willow's had been.

It had to be something important, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered her. She regretfully pulled away from the key and opened her eyes. _How did I end up on the floor? _She thought. She looked up to see Willow and Tara looking down at her with frightened looks. 

"Thank goddess you woke up," Willow said tearfully.

"Woke up?" Dawn asked, clearly confused. "I just entered the key; I hadn't willed anything yet."

"Dawn, you closed your eyes then suddenly fell over. We couldn't get a response." Tara explained gently.

"We were about ready to get Dumbledore," Willow said.

"How long was I out?"

"Almost twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes? I swear I feel like I just closed my eyes."

"We're not going to have you try that again any time soon. Not until we figure out what went wrong. How do you feel?" Tara asked.

"Fine. Really relaxed actually."

"What do you remember?" Willow asked.

Dawn explained what she did and how the key's power felt. When she was finished Willow told her that that was enough for the night.

When she had left the room Willow asked, "What do you think?"

"She lost herself in the key. It's too powerful for her yet."

"That's what I thought."

*********

Buffy and Spike plopped onto one of the couches in the scooby common room after patrolling that evening. "That was boring," Buffy lamented.

"Nothing to slay?" Xander asked.

"Not even a gross bug," she answered flatly. "First, no demons in Sunnydale..."

"Except for loon lady and the fake loony lady and bleach boy," Xander reminded her. 

"The fake ones don't count, they were just pathetic," Spike argued.

"And now no demons here," Buffy pouted loudly, bringing them back to the point.

"Did you say no demons?" Giles asked.

"Just a rare one here or there, but nothing challenging," Buffy said. "It's like they're packing up and leaving."

"Then Druscilla was right. He's gathering an army of demons," Tara said.

"Seems like it," Buffy said wearily.

"All this for just one boy?" Xander asked.

"Buffy, do you still think he's planning on attacking the school?" Giles asked.

"Yeah. My instincts practically scream it at me."

"I think he may be after more than just Harry. If he was able to use the demons to attack the school, he could us them as a distraction to allow his death eaters obtain their main objective," Giles mused softly.

"And that would be?" Xander asked.

"To eliminate Harry and Dumbledore. Not to mention others here who oppose him. He would have them here at the same time. The kill two birds with one stone philosophy."

"But what about the protective charms put on this place?" Willow asked. "How will they get in?"

"There are ways around that," Anya said. "After all I'm here, Spike's here. Oh! And the demons they've been bringing in for their training sessions."

"How did you do that?" Giles asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Dunno. We told Dumbledore we were going to do it and we just bring them in with us." 

"Perhaps the charms are not as strong as people generally believe. What about the vampires?"

"You're not using your head, mate. All it takes is an invite from one of the students who is a supporter and they're all in," Spike said.

"Well we have the who, why, and where. Now all we need in the when and the what," Willow said.

"I'm not going to figure it out tonight. I'm going to bed, my head hurts," Buffy said sleepily.

"All that thinking will do that, luv."

"Shut up, Spike."

********

A couple of weeks later, Dawn anxiously paced the platform they launched from for their quidditch games. They were suppose to play Slytherin that day. She was more nervous now than she had been for her first game.

Before she had time to think too much on it, Harry called the team over for a meeting. "I know Slytherin in tough, but we're tougher. I know they're fast, but we're faster. I even know they're tricky, but..."  
"We got it, we're trickier," Dawn said impatiently. "Got to tell ya, cap, but this is not one of your better speeches."

He just grinned brightly at her. "Ok then, how's this. Let's go out there and kick some Slytherin ass!"

"Harry," Ginny chided.

"What? Not good enough?"

"Your language."

"I don't know, seemed appropriate to me," Ron said with a grin that matched Harry's.

During the laughter that followed, Harry pulled Dawn and Ginny to the side. "I know you two care for Malfoy, but please try to remember that he _is_ the enemy up there."

"I'm not going easy on him just 'cause he's my boyfriend," Dawn said. "We know our job and we're going to do it."

"That's right," Ginny said with an emphatic shake of her head.

On the Slytherin platform, Draco stood quietly off to the side as their captain, Montague, gave his own pre-game speech. The blond was only half listening until he heard him say, "And Draco, remember Potter isn't the only seeker out there. Try to keep your eyes off your mudblood girlfriend long enough to find the snitch."

Draco narrowed his eyes and said, "I suggest you take that back."

"Or what? You'll tell your father?" Montague mocked.

"No, but I will tell my uncle and her sister."

"Your uncle?" Malcolm Baddock, one of the beaters, asked.

"Yeah, my uncle. You know, Spike, our DADA professor?" He said casually. He couldn't help but deflate their bubble, none of them had known.

Color drained from Montague's face. "The vampire is your uncle?"

Draco nodded. "He also happens to be Dawn's adopted big brother," he added with a smirk.

If possible, Montague paled further. "I take it back."

"Good."

Emma Dobbs announced the Slytherin team at that moment and they all mounted their brooms and took to the sky.

Buffy and Spike were seated with the rest of the scooby gang in the professors' section. They were lightly discussing the game.

"So who do we root for?" Willow asked.

"What do you mean?" Xander asked.

"Gryffindor or Slytherin. Do we want Dawn or Draco to win?" She clarified.

"Good question," Giles said.

"Spike and I have already figured it out," Buffy told them. "I'm rooting for Gryffindor and he's for Slytherin. That way we have both sides covered."

"Why don't we root for whoever has the quaffle?" Tara suggested.

"That's my honey," Willow said brightly as she hugged her.

They turned their attention to the players flying in front of them. Once the players were in position, Madam Hooch released all four balls and the game began.

Ron immediately grabbed the quaffle and made his way to the Slytherin goal. He narrowly ducked a flying bludger and then passed the quaffle to Seamus who easily got the ball past the Slytherin keeper, Thomas Nott, to score.

"Ten points for Gryffindor!" Emma called.

Graham Pritchard grabbed the quaffle and headed to the Gryffindor goal. Ginny knocked a bludger so it flew in front of his face. Startled, he pulled up and dropped the quaffle.

Talan, one of the Gryffindor chasers, caught the quaffle and made her way across the field. She acted as if she was going to pass the ball to Seamus, but she scored again.

"Another ten points for Gryffindor!"

"It seems as if the Slytherin team forgot to show up today," Spike said drolly to Buffy.

"What do you mean? It looks like all seven are up there."  
"Maybe physically, but not mentally. Gryffindor is playing like a team, they aren't. They're spending too much of their time arguing with each other."

As if to illustrate his point, Montague flew up next to Draco, who was scanning the field for the snitch.

"What'd you do? Tell your mudblood girlfriend all our plays?"

"I told you not to call her that!" Draco warned. "Besides if you want to blame someone, blame Nott. He hasn't stopped a single goal!"

Before Draco could further retaliate, a bludger came dangerously close to his head. He looked to see Malcolm grinning maliciously at him.

"His own teammate just hit a ball thingie at him! Buffy said in horror.

"Can't they call a foul or something?" Tara asked.

"The rules are really tricky, besides it didn't hit him," Spike said as he continued to watch the game.

Meanwhile, Dawn sent Ginny a look and she returned it with a curt nod. They flew to opposite sides of the field and began knocking the bludgers back and forth. On one pass it hit the back of Worrington's, a Slytherin chaser, broom and he lost the quaffle.

Ron swooped down and caught it. He and Seamus passed it back and forth until they suddenly tossed it to Talan who then scored.

Draco looked frantically about the field for the snitch as the Gryffindors continued to decimate the Slytherins. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glint of gold hovering over the professors' seats. He took off after it and he could hear Harry swiftly coming up behind him.

They flew closely over the spectators' heads as the snitch kept dropping dangerously close to them. It suddenly dove to the ground with Draco and Harry close behind.

Draco felt rather than saw Harry pull away from the rapidly approaching ground. Waiting until the last possible second, Draco leapt from his broom and tucked in as he hit the ground. When he rolled to a stop, he stood to reveal the snitch in his hand.

Harry numbly stared at him as Dawn raced up to Draco to hug him. He couldn't believe it. Malfoy had caught the snitch before him! He looked up to the scoreboard to see that the Gryffindors had still won, 180 to 160.

  



	38. Galadriel's Warning

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Galadriel's Warning

The students were so busy researching what Druscilla meant by the sand coming alive and for their own class work that the next several weeks passed in a blur.

Another Hogsmeade weekend came and went along with Valentine's day. The students hardly had a chance to enjoy either occasion without the thought that something dark was looming on the horizon. The scoobies hadn't said anything specific but everyone could feel the tension that was building.

Somehow Buffy and Spike were still able to find enough demons for their training sessions, despite the fact that the dark forest was nearly empty. The lack of action was more nerve-racking than if they had been attacked every night. It meant something was brewing, and it was never good when that happened.

One Thursday night, after a particularly long day of research and training, Dawn fell quickly asleep. Only to wake up in a clearing of a beautiful forest. She looked down and noticed she wasn't wearing her Tigger pajamas. Instead she was wearing a long flowy gown made of a silky blue material.

She looked around and saw a tall beautiful blond on the other side of the clearing. Smiling she said, "Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo, Galadriel." {A star shines on the hour of our meeting, Galadriel.}

Galadriel smiled and said, "Mae govannen." {Well met.}

Dawn looked around in awe and asked, {Where am I?}

{The woods of Lothlórien, in the city of Caras Galdhon}

{Am I in Middle Earth?} Dawn asked, remembering the names from the book Hermione had given her for Christmas.

{No. This is but a dream. However, this is the dreamscape I created for this meeting. I am pleased to see that you retained some of your Elvish memories, Amaurëa.}

Dawn peered closely at Galadriel. She took in the woman's ethereal beauty and something else. {You have pointy ears.}

Galadriel smiled and said, {All of the Eldar have pointed ears.}

The brunette's mouth formed a soundless oh. {So what's the what? I know you didn't bring me here to chit-chat.} Galadriel raised an eyebrow at the strange wording and Dawn clarified. {Just to talk. What's wrong?}

The elf's face turned grave. {A shadow of darkness grows not only in my world, but also in yours. You have to be ready.}

Dawn nodded and waved her hand, {Yeah, yeah, yeah. We already know, we're working on it.}

{No, Amaurëa. You are the only one who can save them.}  
{Yeah, got _that_ memo several months ago. Cute little Irish guy told me that.} Dawn said impatiently.

A faint hint of a smile appeared on Galadriel's lips before turning serious again. {You haven't been allowing them to help you.}

{Who help me?}

{Your heart and strength.}

{I don't get it. They're there, we're connected. What do you mean I'm not letting them help me?}

Galadriel shook her head. {You have to figure that out on your own.}

{Yeah, yeah. I got it. You can show me the door but I gotta walk through it.}

Again, Galadriel smiled softly. {I can show you the path to the door. You must find it and open it.} Her eyes hardened as she warned. {Someone will try to deceive you. Do not allow it to deter you from your path.} 

{Deceive me? Who? Who's gonna trick me?} Then realization hit. {Wait, it's one of those things I gotta figure out on my own. I got it. Can't you tell me anything really helpful and not in riddles?}

{I already have. It is up to you to decide how to use the knowledge.}

Dawn turned her attention back to her surroundings. {I wish I could visit this place for real.}

{One day you will. I look forward to meeting you in my world.}

The brunette nodded sadly and said, {Dream is about over, huh?}

{I only had a short amount of time. Remember that your heart and strength are there to support you. You need them.}

Then Dawn woke up in her bed.

**********

The next day during the scooby research session, Dawn recounted her dream of Galadriel.

"So nothing specific, huh?" Buffy asked. She was a little weirded out that her sister was receiving the dreams and not her.

"No, same old, same old. Darkness is coming, you're the only one who can stop it. Yadda, yadda, yadda."

"Do you think the darkness on their world is related to the one on ours?" Giles asked.

Dawn shook her head. "Nah. I think their troubles are different from ours."

With that, they fell into their usual research routine. The different couples grabbed some books and snuggled together on the couches.

It was that night that they finally had a breakthrough. Ron excitedly called out, "I think I've got something!"

Everyone looked up to him as he read. "A G'Noc'leth can only be raised on the third new moon of the year. A creature of sand created by the first dark wizard, Annias."

"It certainly sounds like our guy," Xander said. 

"There's more," Ron said. "It was created to be Annias' ultimate weapon against other wizards. It is impervious to all magic and weapons."

"Oh no," Willow whispered.

"The only way to defeat it is to force the particles apart and scatter them," Ron finished quietly.

They all looked around at each other in horror. Giles hurried over to the calendar and started making calculations. He looked up and said, "Oh dear."

"Oh dear?" Xander cried. "Oh dear! It's never good when you say oh dear!"

"The third new moon is in a week and a half on March the fifth," Giles said softly.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione looked at each other knowingly. "They're coming here, aren't they," Hermione stated more that asked.

Everyone looked at her. "What do you mean?" Willow asked innocently.

"If he's raising this demon to kill Harry, that means they're coming here. They'll be here on the fifth. Am I right?"

Spike looked at Buffy and said, "Luv, we better tell 'em. They're smart. They'll figure out what little they don't know."

Buffy explained that her instincts had been screaming about the invasion since Christmas. She also told them they had already made some plans.

"That's why you've been having us train with demons," Draco said. "You wanted us prepared when the demons got here."

Buffy mutely nodded her head and then looked at the clock on the wall. "It's getting late, why don't you guys go to bed? We'll discuss this more in the morning."

The students wearily nodded their heads. They stacked their books on the table and headed out the door. Draco walked Dawn back to the Tower.

They stayed in the hallway talking for a few minutes after the others had gone in. "It's getting pretty serious, huh?" Draco asked quietly.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, it's been a while since we've had to face a near apocalypse."

Draco looked at her with a serious face. "No matter what, Dawn. I will stand beside you."

She read the sincerity in his gray eyes and smiled in acceptance. He gave a her a quick kiss goodnight and headed to the dungeons.

*********

Once Harry and Ron had got back to their room and into bed, Harry spoke softly so as not to wake Seamus and Neville. "I'm sorry, Ron."

"For what?"

"Dragging all of you into this. I should have never come to school here."  
"Don't say that, Harry. Granted life would be a little quieter with out you but it also wouldn't be as exciting. Not to mention we'd probably all be dead without you."  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Think about it. Our first year you-know-who would have gotten the sorcerer's stone. Or our second year, Ginny would have died so he could live. Without you, Harry, all sorts of things could have gone wrong."  
"But Ron, it's because of me a lot of this stuff has happened."  
"So? Look at Buffy. She has this huge destiny as the slayer. While she may regret dragging her friends into it, she doesn't let it hold her back from doing what needs to be done."  
Harry pondered this for a while. He finally said, "I guess you're right. It's not stopping Dawn either, so I won't let it stop me."

***********

In the girl's prefect room, Ginny sighed softly in the dark.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I'm scared."

"Me too," Hermione admitted quietly. "But I'm sure the scoobies will think of something. They've been alive this long for a reason. After all they faced a hell-god and lived to talk about it."

"Think anyone else is scared?" Ginny asked after a few moments.

"I think everyone is."

********

The next morning, Dawn arrived late for breakfast and she hurriedly sat next to Ginny.

The redhead regarded her best friend with a smirk and asked, "Been busy snogging with Draco?"

Dawn flushed lightly and said, "No, I haven't seen him. I just woke up late."  
"Then where is Draco?"  
Dawn looked over at the Slytherin table and did not see her boyfriend's pale blond hair. She shrugged and said, "Maybe he slept in late, too. We were up pretty late last night."  
Thinking nothing more of it, she began eating.

*********

After breakfast, the scoobies gathered in Dumbledore's office along with Professors Snape and McGonagall. Once everyone was seated Albus said, "I take it you have found something."

Giles sketched out what they had learned about the G'Noc'leth demon. When he was finished, Minerva said, "Oh dear. Albus we need to evacuate the students immediately."

Spike spoke up and said, "Wait. I don't think that's such a good idea yet."  
"And why do you think that?" Snape sneered at him.

The blond vampire rolled his eyes. "Because if we evacuate them now, Voldemort will know we're on to him, and we may loose our chance to take him down."

"I suggest we wait until right before they attack to evacuate," Giles said. "I don't think we should tell the prefects until the day of. There will be less of a chance of it slipping out."

"We can easily come up with a reason why they're evacuating," Xander stated. "It could even be labeled as a drill."

Tara asked, "Is there someplace safe for them to go?"

Albus nodded and said, "Yes. There is a secret chamber in the castle designed for that purpose."

"I think we should let those in our special training stay behind," Spike said.

"You mean to allow the children to fight?" Snape asked in shock.

"Knowing them, they would sneak into the fight anyway. I would rather have them by my side than elsewhere hurt or dying."  
"That's fine, William. Knowing Harry and his friends they would find a way to help no matter the cost."

"I'll owl Angel. We need to make arrangements for them to arrive at night so Angel doesn't go all dusty," Buffy said.

"That's not a problem," Albus told her. "I will owl some friends of mine to have them secretly arrive the day before."

**********

Draco was conspicuously absent again during lunch and Dawn was beginning to worry. 

"Can't you use your link?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. We've never tried it over a distance. We were always in the same room before."

"Why not try it now?"  
Dawn closed her eyes and concentrated. She easily found Buffy since she had already arrived in the Great Hall. But every time she tried to reach Draco she hit a blank wall.

She opened her eyes and said, "I can't find him. But that could just mean we have to be in the same room."  
Ginny nodded her head in understanding.

********

By lunch on Sunday, Dawn was near frantic with worry. Nobody had seen or talked to Draco since he had left her at the Tower Friday night. She felt Harry nudge her elbow and then pointed to the door of the Great Hall.

A disheveled Draco mindlessly walked in. She was startled by his appearance. While lately he hadn't been wearing his hair slicked back it was usually neat. Now it looked as if he hadn't even brushed it. He hadn't shaved and his robe was rumpled.

~Hey.~ She said.

He jumped slightly before saying. ~Hey.~

~Where've you been?~

~Huh? I just slept late.~

~For two days?~

Draco stopped and looked over at her. ~What do you mean? What day is this?~

~Sunday.~

~You're kidding?~

~No.~

~Shit. Guess I was more tired than I thought. Sorry if I worried you.~

~It's ok.~

~I'm starving. We'll talk after lunch.~

She turned back to the food on her plate. She was halfway through her lunch when Neville sat next to Ron. "Have you guys heard?"

"Heard what?" Hermione asked.

"Draco got the death mark."  
Dawn's face paled as she dropped her fork. "No. He would never do that."  
"That's where he was yesterday."  
Galadriel's warning rang in her head. "I'll believe it when I see it," she told him defiantly. But as she looked over a Draco she wasn't so sure. He was surrounded by his housemates. Normally they avoided him like the plague but now they were flocking to his side.

She barely touched the rest of her food as she watched him. When he got up to leave, she wordlessly rose to follow him. She could hear him muttering to himself and he kept running his hands through his hair.

"Hey," she said softly when they reached a deserted hallway.

He spun around and gave her a small smile. "Hey yourself," he said as he opened his arms for a hug.

Dawn easily melted into his arms. She always felt so safe and loved in them. As she pulled away she asked, "Let me see your left arm."  
"Huh?"

"Just let me see it." He held it out and she rolled her eyes. "Roll up your sleeve."  
"I don't know what's going on," he muttered as he began rolling his sleeve up. He heard her gasp and he looked down to see the death mark tattooed on his forearm.

Dawn felt the world spin out of control. He had betrayed them. She had told Harry once that she would never believe that Draco was evil until she saw the mark on him. This was the proof.

Her eyes turned to steel and her hand was moving before she knew it. The fist connected solidly with his jaw and it knocked him to the floor.

"You bastard! You used us. I was a fool to trust you, something that will never happen again. I suggest you _never_ come near me again." She turned and stalked off.

She waited until she was out of earshot before she broke down into tears. She felt as if her heart had been torn from her chest and trampled on. She began having problems breathing. She collapsed to the ground.

That was how Ginny and the others had found her. "Dawn, what happened?" Ginny asked softly as she knelt down next to her.

"He betrayed us. He betrayed me. He's a death eater," she answered tearfully.

"Fucking bastard," Harry snarled.

"Let's go find him," Ron said with venom in his voice.

"No!" Ginny ordered. "Dawn needs us now. You can beat the shit out of him later."

"Ginny!" Hermione chided.

"They can. He deserves whatever he gets, just look at what he did to Dawn."

The three looked to see Dawn staring blankly into space. They could all clearly see that she was devastated.

"Let's get her to her room," Hermione said as she heard voices approach.

They helped the catatonic girl to her feet and to her room.

*********  
Draco couldn't respond to her accusations. He stared at his arm in mute horror. How did this happen? The last thing he remembered was going to bed Friday night.

It was impossible for him to have the mark. It could only be applied to someone who wanted it. That was how Voldemort knew that all those in his ranks were loyal. He didn't want it so how come he had one?

This was bad. Real bad. Buffy had warned him about betraying them and it seemed as if he had. He was going to need help, and lots of it. Soon.


	39. Arrivals

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Arrivals

"What seems to be the problem, Mr. Malfoy?" Albus asked as he took in the frightened young man in front of him.

"Something terrible has happened and I don't know how it happened," Draco said miserably.

"What happened?" The headmaster asked curiously.

"This," and Draco rolled up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo.

"This _is_ quite serious. Tell me what you remember."

The blond sat in one of the big chairs and told him everything he remembered. "And now Dawn hates me and Buffy and Spike are going to kill me. I didn't want this mark! Now I have it and I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"Calm down, Mr. Malfoy," Albus said sternly. "We can't fix this if you panic."

Draco nodded and took in a few shaky breaths. "How are we going to fix this?"

"First, I wish to examine your arm." He walked over to Draco and gently probed the boy's arm. He whispered a few spells over it and then nodded. "It's as I suspected."

"What is?"

"That is not the death mark," Albus answered as he returned to his seat. "It is a very clever illusion."

"An illusion! This means you can undo it, right?" Draco asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not."

"What?!"

"Whoever created this was most clever. They wound a very specific charm. Only the person who cast it or a very specific spell can break it. Very few people could even detect that it is an illusion."  
"Then what am I suppose to do?"

The door to Dumbledore's office banged open to reveal an extremely pissed Spike and Buffy.

"You little shit!" Spike raged as he vamped out. "I should have known not to trust my kin. You betrayed me, but worse you hurt my Nibblet!"

"Spike!" Buffy called.

He ignored her and hauled his nephew out of the chair and threw him against the wall. "I should drain you now to rid the world of your pathetic life but I'm afraid the taste of traitor wouldn't sit well in my stomach."  
"William."

"Stay out of this Albus. He destroyed my girl and now I'm going to return the favor."

"Spike!"

"What Buffy?"

"Look at him."

The vampire peered at the boy cringing in front of him. He smelled the fear and sorrow emanating from him and some of the tension released from Spike's body. But what really got him were Draco's eyes. They were filled with so much pain; and tears flowed freely down the boy's face.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, some of the harshness gone from his voice.

"I'm afraid someone is trying to cause problems by framing young Mr. Malfoy."

Spike roughly grabbed Draco's arm and turned it to reveal the mark. He studied it for a moment before asking, "This isn't real?"

"No, it's not," Albus said. 

Anger fled Spike and he pulled Draco into a hug. "I'm sorry I doubted you," he whispered.

"It's ok. I doubted myself."

When Spike had let go, Draco quickly found himself in the arms of the slayer. It was then he understood that he wasn't merely a member of their group, but their family.

"Air," he said.

"Sorry," Buffy said as she loosened her hold. "I forget sometimes." She turned to Dumbledore, "How do we fix this?"

Draco was relieved to hear her say we. I meant that he wouldn't be alone in trying to find a way to remedy the problem.

Albus quickly explained the nature of the spell. "I believe we can use this to our advantage."

"How?" Buffy asked.

"He wants to use me as a spy," Draco said softly, figuring it out.

"No! It's too dangerous," Buffy said firmly.

Draco saw where this was going. Whistler's words about being someone to be counted echoed in his heart. This was one of those important choices to make and he'd be damned if he let them make the wrong one for him. His voice cut through the arguing when he said, "I'll do it."  
"Draco, you can't."

He turned solemn gray eyes to the slayer. "I have to. If I can find out one piece of information to help save you or Dawn it'll be worth whatever price I have to pay."  
She could see that Malfoy stubborn streak coming out and she knew it was useless to argue. She nodded her head in acquiescence.

"No one besides those of us present can know about this," Albus said.

"Not even Dawn?" Draco asked with stricken eyes.

"Not even Dawn," he answered softly. 

"You probably shouldn't attend the extra training either," Buffy said sadly. "But we need to figure out a way to talk to you without everyone knowing."

"We can meet in my little room," Draco said after a moment. "Spike knows where it is."

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "If you ever fear your life is in danger, Draco, let us know immediately. Your life is more important than any information you might gather."

Draco nodded his head and stood to leave. "I'll remember. I'd better go before my housemates become suspicious."

As he headed to the dungeons his thoughts became as gloomy as his surroundings. It seemed he wouldn't be standing by Dawn's side like he said he would. She would probably never speak to him again. But as long as he was still helping, even without her knowing, he would have to be content.

*********

Buffy and Spike stood on the platform at the train station in Hogsmeade waiting for their friends from L.A. to arrive. The sun had set on a very long day and they doubted that they would get to bed early that night since they needed to fill Angel in on everything.

"Here it comes," Spike said pointing to a light in the distance.

"It's about time; I'm freezing out here."

The train rolled to a stop and before long some familiar faces stepped out. A tall, dark haired man was the first one off.

A big smile broke out on Buffy's face and she rushed up to hug him. "Angel. I'm glad you guys could make it."

"It's not like we had anything better to do since most of the demons had left town." He looked up to see the blond vampire. "Spike."

"Peaches."

"Where's Dawn?"

A grimace appeared on the Spike's face. "She's spending some time with her friends. I'll explain when we get inside."  
"Wow Buffy, look at you." Cordelia was saying. "Wizard life seems to suit you. That's a beautiful cloak."

"Thanks. Spike got it for me for Christmas," she said as she did a little twirl. She gave a quick hug to the others who had stepped off, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn. She stopped short when she reached the last figure.

"Hey, B," the woman said nervously.

"Faith," Buffy said, slightly startled.

"I hope you don't mind, Buffy," Angel said, coming up behind her. "But we figured we would need her help."

Buffy nodded her head in agreement. "How are you, Faith?"

"Five by five, you?"

"I'm five by five," Buffy said with a small smile and surprised the dark haired slayer by enveloping her in a hug.

"I really don't deserve this, B," Faith said in a choked voice.

"Yes you do. I've learned that people can change. Besides, we've all tried to kill each other at some point in time." Buffy pulled away and said, "Let's get you guys inside so I can warm up."

Buffy giggled lightly when they took in the castle. She remembered her reaction when she had first seen it.

"No wonder the wizard life suits you," Cordelia said in awe. "You're living in a freakin' castle."

"I know, isn't it cool. But you haven't seen anything yet."  
When they got inside, Gunn jumped in surprise. "That guy in that picture moved!"

"They all do. The castle is complete with ghosts, moving and talking pictures, staircases that change, house rivalries, house elves, and a slimy potions teacher," Buffy said cheerfully as she led them to their rooms.

Angel Investigations' rooms connected to the scoobies common room. After they got settled into their rooms, Buffy quickly told them about the demon they were to face.

"And Dawn is the only one who can stop it?" Wesley asked.

"So they keep telling her," Spike said wearily.

"Then where is she?" Gunn asked. "I would have thought she'd be here to help plan."

The scoobies looked at each other hesitantly. Buffy finally said, "She's a little indisposed at the moment."

"Catatonic is more like it," Xander muttered.

"What happened?" Angel asked.

They quickly mapped out Draco becoming Spike's ward since he was a Malfoy, his change to the good, his relationship with Dawn, and his betrayal. They didn't mention that he was being framed since the scoobies didn't even know.

Angel vamped out and jumped to his feet. "Where's the little punk? I'll rip him from limb to limb."  
"Peaches! Sit down! You can't touch him; he's just a kid."

"I'm with deadboy. He hurt Dawn, not to mention he's a death eater."

Buffy and Spike shared a look but she shook her head. "He's still a student so we can't touch him," Buffy said firmly.

"How is Dawn suppose to stop it," Wesley asked in effort to change topics.

"We don't know," Giles said as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "All we know is that Buffy _and_ Draco are suppose to help her."

"So what you're saying is the only one who can save us is Dawn. But she's spazzed out cause her boyfriend betrayed her. And the only way she can win is if he turns back from the dark side," Fred said in a rush.

"We're doomed," Giles said.

"Totally," Willow agreed.

*********

The night during dinner Draco did his best to hide his misery so he could play his part of Dumbledore's plan. He only half listened to the introductions of the guests at Hogwarts. From the way they glared at him he figured they had been told about his apparent betrayal. He sighed; it was going to be a long week and a half.

He noticed Dawn wasn't sitting at the Gryffindor table and it pained him to know that he was the reason for her absence. His housemates saw none of this and they talked to him as if they hadn't been ignoring him the entire school year.

The next morning during Muggle Defense Dawn was still absent. Anytime Draco looked over at Harry and Ron they would shoot him a glare. If looks could kill, Draco was sure there would be nothing left of him.

He was left without a partner for sparring. The dark haired slayer spoke up, "I'll spar with him, B."

Buffy looked at Faith and said, "No. You can help Spike with the others."

Draco paired up with Buffy. While she made it look like she was hard on him to help everyone believe that she was mad, it wasn't anything harder than what they had done in the extra training.

Dawn didn't return to class until Wednesday and Draco's heart broke when he saw what was left of his angel. Her hair looked like it hadn't been washed and hung limply around her face. Her eyes were hollow and had lost their fiery spark. It looked like she hadn't slept.

He wished he could rush over to her and assure her that everything was fine, but he couldn't.

The week and a half passed at an unbearably slow pace. While it was true that his housemates were talking to him again they didn't talk about anything important.

Pansy was the one who spent the most time with him and he was beginning to suspect that she was the one who cast the spell. She had always been good at charms, he just hadn't realized that she had gotten that good.

The only thing he seemed to learn from his housemates was who had taken the mark and who hadn't. He told Spike this during one of their meetings in his secret room. Spike just nodded and said, "You're doing fine. It's just for a little longer."

But Draco was worried that a little bit longer was going to kill him. It hurt to be separated from Dawn this way and it hurt even worse to see her move lifelessly about the castle. He never felt so alone and worthless. 

March the fifth finally arrived and Draco sat nervously at his table in the Great Hall during dinner. He knew that Dawn was the one who was suppose to save them, but at the moment she didn't look like she could hurt a fly let alone an unstoppable demon.

Pansy left the table early and a few minutes later a commotion broke out at the Gryffindor table.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny kept exchanging anxious glances as Dawn picked at the food on her plate. While they had at least been able to get her up and moving, she didn't seem to be getting any better.

Ron turned to Hermione at one point and said, "I didn't realize she liked the git that much. Makes me wish he hadn't changed sides. Maybe there had been a chance for him to be not such a bad guy if she cared for him that much."

Suddenly Harry pressed his palm to his forehead and gasped in pain.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and she said, "They're here." And the four Gryffindors jumped to their feet.


	40. The Key To Victory

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Key To Victory

Dumbledore looked up when he heard a yell from the Gryffindor table. Catching sight of the four standing, he rose to his feet and called for everyone's attention. When all eyes were on him he said, "Will all students please rise to their feet. You will follow your prefects in an orderly fashion. First years will go first, followed by each successive year."

The students looked at each other questioningly but followed the headmaster's orders. The students began to quickly exit the Great Hall. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny waited until the sixth years began to leave before going to the professors' table. Dawn continued to sit quietly at her seat.

Once at the head table, the four quickly shed their robes to reveal clothes they could easily move in. They had their daggers and wands pulled out, ready to use. The scoobies and A.I. were pulling out the weapons they had stored ahead of time. They quickly handed out stakes and other various weapons to the faculty and students.

Screams were suddenly heard from the other end of the hall. They looked up to see some of the sixth and seventh year students running toward them.

"Damn," Buffy muttered before she called out, "They're coming this way!"

"Everyone up here," Spike ordered. The students all ran to them and he quickly began handing out weapons to them.

Dawn finally rose from her seat and mutely took off her robe and retrieved some weapons. Draco sadly watched her as he readied himself secretly in a corner of the room.

Harry nearly jumped in surprise as he recognized two figures approaching him. "Remus! Sirius! What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think we'd miss the biggest fight of the year did you?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"Besides the chance to see not one, but two slayers in action was an opportunity I didn't want to miss," Remus said as he gave the young man a hug.

The boy who lived began feeling a little better about the battle that was about to start. Now if they could only get Dawn to focus. He didn't get to think about it for too long as hundreds of demons and vampires began pouring into the room.

Dawn braced herself for the coming onslaught. She was beginning to forget why she was fighting. She mechanically went through the motions to fight off her attackers. Living in this world was meaningless without Draco. The brunette ducked beneath a vampire's clumsy swing and absently staked it.

She turned and stabbed her dagger into a slimy demon before kicking it away from her. Her heart and soul became more detached as she mindlessly fought.

Ron was at least heartened by the fact that Dawn was defending herself. He traded blows with a dark haired vampire before finally staking it.

Hermione, who was fighting beside him, called out, "Duck Ron!" He complied and she hexed the demon that was about to strike him from behind.

"Thanks!" He said as he straightened and staked the vampire rushing him. He sneezed as the dust went up his nose. "Buffy forgot to warn about that," he muttered. He whirled around to check on Hermione but at that moment a group of demons ran between them, separating them.

"Ahh!" Harry cried as the polgara demon he was fighting made a cut on his arm with one of its skewers. Ginny turned at his cry and used her dagger to cut the skewer off. He nodded his head in thanks as he thrust his dagger into the demon's gut.

As he pulled the dagger out he heard Ginny say, "Oh crap."

"What?" He asked.

"I lost my wand," she said as she kicked a vampire in the face. She quickly staked him before turning to Harry. "How long before the death eaters show up, you think?"

"Dunno," Harry said as he ducked a punch. "But it won't be good when they do."

Neville had lost his stake so he used his wand to dust the petite vampire he was fighting. There were no more demons around him so he looked about to see Fred, the young Texan woman who had arrived with Angel, fighting a large scaly demon. He rushed over and stabbed it in the back causing it to drop lifelessly to the floor.

Fred flashed him a brief smile before pointing to a demon sneaking up behind him. He turned and kicked it in the stomach before dropping. Neville made a sweep with his right leg and knocked the demon off its feet. He took his dagger and stabbed it in the neck.

Buffy grunted as the chirago demon she was fighting landed a punch in her stomach. As she doubled over she placed her hands on the ground and pushed her legs up. She kicked the large demon in the head, sending it reeling over to Spike.

"I know you," Spike exclaimed as he punched it in the face. "Should have stuck with singing like Yma Sumac," he advised before beheading it. "Although, come to think of it, that wasn't a good choice either."

Gunn swung his axe to behead a chubby vampire that rushed him. He had never seen so many different demons and vampires fighting together, it was a bit disconcerting. Usually the different types of demons steered clear of each other or even fought against one another. The fact that Voldemort was able to get all of them working together did not bode well for the good guys.

Faith was having a blast, she had missed this. Nothing in the world could compare to the feeling of fighting vampires and demons. She spun in the air and kicked down a brownish red demon. As she stabbed it in the chest she kicked her leg out behind her, knocking back another sneaking up behind her. It turned to dust to reveal Wesley standing behind it.

She drew a small dagger from her boot and threw it. Her former watcher's eyes widened as the blade flew past his head and buried itself in the eye of the demon that was behind him. He smiled sheepishly and turned his attention to a vampire that was coming toward them.

Angel and Cordelia fought together with an ease that spoke of their years of working closely together. Both of them were sporting minor cuts and bruised. Angel heard clanging metal behind him as Cordelia fought a vampire that had been armed. He had just snapped the neck of a small demon when he heard Cordelia cry out in pain. He twisted around to see blood running down her shirt from a stab wound in her shoulder.

"You little creep! I loved this shirt!" Her anger gave her extra strength and she quickly disarmed him before neatly decapitating him. She sent Angel a stern look. "You realize this means shopping."

Angel just rolled his eyes.

Draco viciously cut down every demon that approached him as he worked his way to Dawn. He was determined to be by her side whether she wanted him there or not. Demon blood and gore was smeared all over him. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to tire.

A terrible feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and he caught sight of the death eaters entering the hall. Things had suddenly gone from bad to worse.

Ron finally caught sight of Hermione fighting several meters away. He slammed his fist into the blond vampire that roared in his face. "Bad breath man."

He heard Hermione scream and looked up to see her fall beneath a bunch of demons. Fear welled up inside him. He had just found her; he couldn't lose her now.

Forgetting the wand in his back pocket he dove into his wiccan powers. He held up a hand and said, "Diduco!" The demons were thrust back and a left him a path to Hermione. He rushed up to her and knelt next to her. "Contego," he cried and a barrier shimmered around them.

Her eyes were shut but she was breathing. A deep bruise lined her jaw and a small cut on her forehead had some blood running from it.

"Wake up 'Mione!" He said desperately. "Don't you leave me. Mum would kill me if I let you die."

Hermione's eyes fluttered and a soft moan escaped her lips. Ron's heart resumed its beating as he gathered her up in his arms. "Thank Merlin! That's it 'Mione, wake up."  
"Ron? My head hurts," she said softly.

"I know pumpkin," he said as he picked her up.

"Did you just call me pumpkin?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, I'll find a better name for you next time," he said as he carried her to a section of the hall that was protecting the wounded.

~Duck baby.~ Willow called to Tara. Once she had dropped to the floor, Willow threw two fireballs turning two vampires into dust.

Rising to her feet, Tara saw the green light of a killing curse hurtling toward Willow. She quickly called out, "Reddere!" It returned on its former path and killed the one who cast the spell instead.

Harry ducked to avoid a curse and it hit a stray demon behind him. The death eaters' arrival brought new perils to the battle. He had already uttered the counter-curse for the stupefy curse that had hit Ginny.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar figure skulking along the wall. He grabbed Ginny by the wrist and pulled her along with him. As the figure was looking in the opposite direction they stepped in front of him, causing him to stop short when he turned around.

"Pettigrew," Harry sneered.

The thin man looked at the wand pointed directly at him. "Harry!"

"You're not escaping this time," Harry said between clenched teeth.

"Now H-Harry. No hard feelings."  
"No hard feelings! You cut me! You betrayed my parents! You're the reason my godfather is in hiding!"  
Ginny saw Peter discreetly reach for his wand during Harry's tirade, but she was faster. She lashed out and her right fist connected solidly with his jaw, knocking him against the wall.

Harry called out, "Petrificus totalus!"

Peter Pettigrew's body froze up and he toppled to the floor. The two drug him over to the protected corner.

"Oh shit!" Sirius called out as he clobbered the green skinned demon in front of him.

"What?" Remus yelled after he set several vampires on fire.

"Voldemort is here and he seems to be chanting!"

"Oh shit is right," Remus muttered. He only hoped that the others had figured out how to stop the demon that was currently rising up from the floor in the middle of the hall.

"Great googly moogly!" Xander yelled as he caught sight of the demon rising. "We're in trouble G-man!"

"Xander!" Giles cried in exasperation as he took a kick in the gut. "How many times..." He swung his sword and decapitated the strange demon that had flippers instead of hands before he continued, "have I asked you not to call me that!"  
"Demon's here!"  
Giles looked up and replied, "Oh dear."

Anya screamed and hid behind the closest person she could find, who just happened to be Severus Snape.

"What are you doing you silly twit?" He demanded.

"It's hideous!"  
"What is?"

She couldn't speak, only point to the thing. The surly professor looked to see a furry demon with large floppy ears. "What? It looks like a rabbit."  
"With huge, pointy teeth!" She cried, burying her face into his back. "Kill it! Kill it!"

Snape rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the situation. He quickly cursed it and said, "It's gone, you can come out now."  
She peered out tearfully around him. Seeing that the coast was clear she grinned and easily staked the vampire that went to attack her.

"Angel! Faith!" Buffy called out as Spike cleared them a path to the demon. "Seems Voldy has arrived."

The four fought their way to the massive demon in the center of the room. Its entire body was made of sand and was nearly eight feet tall.

"Sure this is more exciting that jail?" Buffy asked Faith as they stared up at the imposing figure towering above them.

"Definitely B."

Faith swung a sword she had picked up and embedded it into the thing's knee. When she pulled it out the wound just closed over. "That's bad," she muttered before it swung its arm knocking her across the room.

Spike pulled out his wand and began throwing every curse and hex he knew at the demon, but they were only absorbed by the demon. "Bugger," he grumbled. "We're in big trouble."

Draco had nearly reached Dawn. Also in his line of sight was a death eater pointing their wand at his angel. He knew she would never listen to a warning from him he took off running. He tackled her and twisted in the air. He cried out as the curse hit him on the back.

He felt as if his entire body erupted in white-hot pain as the cruciatus curse worked its way through him. All he could do was grit his teeth against the pain and hope that somebody would release the spell before he went insane.

Dawn opened her eyes and realized there was a body on top of her. All she knew was that she was fighting a demon of some sort then someone knocked her over. She shoved the body off of her and sat up.

A gasp escaped her lips as she recognized the pale, shaking figure lying next to her. "Draco?"

He struggled to focus on her. "Dawn....you....ok?"

"Yeah. What happened?"

"Cruciatus..."  
"Huh?"

"You....curse...save...."

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed as she realized what he had done. She softly said, "Leryëa," and his body relaxed as the curse was lifted.

He pointed behind her and she turned to see a death eater approach them. "My father," he whispered.

Dawn's eyes narrowed and green fire flickered in them briefly. She flicked her hand and said, "Hortëa." He flew across the room and crashed into the wall. "Ondo," and the rock of the wall seemed to ooze out and bound him to the wall at his wrists and ankles.

She turned her attention back to Draco after erecting a shield around them. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I love you."  
"But the mark..."  
"It's fake."

She felt tears of joy well up as it sank in. He hadn't betrayed her and not only that, he loved her. A grin broke out on her face for the first time in a week and a half.

"I was so lonely without you," he whispered. "I spied for Dumbledore when the mark appeared in effort to help you. But I was worried I would fail. You're my anchor, my support. I just love you so much, I would have rather died than to see you hurt."

"I love you, too." She whispered and leaned over to kiss him firmly on the lips. As he deepened the kiss a feeling of completeness stole over her.

When they broke the kiss something clicked in her head. The familiar spark returned to her eyes and she said, "I know how to win." She stood and pulled him up.

"How?"

"No time to explain." She looked around and saw Buffy and Spike fighting the G'Noc'leth. ~Buffy, where are Willow and Tara?~

~Dawn?~ Buffy asked in surprise.

~Yes, it's me.~ She answered impatiently. ~Where are they?~

~To my right.~

Dawn looked and saw the two wiccas fighting. ~You and Spike meet Draco and I over there. We also...~

~Draco?~

~I'm here.~ Draco said.

~She knows?~

~Yes I know. As I was saying we also need to find Ron.~

~What are you up to?~

~I know how to win, now get moving.~

After finding Ron, Dawn and Draco pulled him to the others. Once the seven had gathered they all looked expectantly at Dawn.

"I'm going to open a portal."  
"No," Buffy protested. "Willow and Tara said it was too dangerous."  
"But when we tried it I didn't have you and Draco with me."  
"What do you mean?"

"I'm suppose to let you two support me. To ground my consciousness. If I open the portal while linked, you guys will keep me grounded."

"It should work," Tara said excitedly.

"It's the same thing Tara and I do when we traverse the astral plane."  
"I need Willow, Tara, and Ron to shield us while we do this."

"On it," Willow said. She joined hands with the other two and a shield went up.

Dawn reached out and joined hands with Draco and Buffy. She looked at Spike and said, "Hold Buffy's hand." 

After he complied she opened a deep connection with Draco and Buffy, then connected with Spike through Buffy. Keeping a firm grip on their presences in her mind she delved into the key. Again she felt the peace of the key but Buffy reminded her of her job. She used Buffy's strength to keep hold of Draco's love, the thing that made her life worthwhile.

Picturing the dimension she wanted she pulled on her will. Sensing that that wasn't enough she pulled from the power of the key. She then pulled from the three she was connected to. Green fire erupted around the four of them and Dawn could feel the power coursing through her body.

~Anytime would be good.~ Draco said.

Dawn called out, her voice echoing through the Great Hall. "I mahtari, I istar, ar I fólë nar minë. Assa imbë ambari. Pantar!"

White crackly energy opened behind the massive demon. As the portal opened a gray whirlwind appeared on the other side.

"Kick it through Angel!" Buffy called.

Angel narrowly ducked a swing and landed a powerful kick into its chest, knocking it back a few steps. It lost its footing on one of the bodies lying on the floor and fell backwards through the portal.

Seeing the demon gone, Dawn called, "Pahtar!" When the swirling energy was gone her world turned black.


	41. Well Wishing and Closets

Chapter Forty

Well Wishing and Closets

The first thing Dawn became aware of was an intense pain in her head. She knew that opening her eyes would only make it worse so she stretched out with her other senses before doing so.

She perceived that she was no longer in the Great Hall. It didn't feel like she was lying on a hard stone floor, but she could tell it was a mattress instead. She briefly wondered how and when she got moved to wherever she was.

After a moment she realized that there was someone snuggled up to her with their arms wrapped around her. It only took a second for her to recognize the feel of Draco's embrace. She stirred slightly and she heard him whisper in her ear.

"Good morning sleepyhead."

She opened her eyes to look up and see his gray ones peering down at her. "How long have I been out?" She asked in a voice rough from lack of use.

"A couple of days. We were a little worried about you at first. But we realized that you had used a lot of energy and you hadn't been sleeping well so we figure your body was getting some rest."

"I take it we won?" She asked softly, grimacing at the pain shooting through her head.

"Yes, we won," he answered with a chuckle.

She cast her eyes about the room and seeing no one else she asked, "Where is everybody else?"

"Ron is probably still hovering over Hermione; she got hurt pretty bad during the battle. She was only released from the infirmary this morning. The scoobies and other students are in class."

"What happened to Voldemort?"

"Dumbledore confronted him right after you closed the portal. They dueled viciously for several minutes until Voldemort grabbed a nearby student and threw him at Dumbledore. When the headmaster helped the student, Voldemort disappeared along with all his death eaters. The demons and vampires that hadn't died also left with them."

Dawn looked closely at him and noticed dark circles under his eyes. "You haven't been sleeping," she accused.

He shrugged. "I was worried about you. I hadn't slept well the past couple of weeks without you. But I haven't been able to sleep until I knew you were fine."

The scoobies noisily entered the infirmary at that moment and they all rushed over to give Dawn a hug. When everyone had received one she settled back into Draco's arms and smiled faintly at them.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," Buffy admonished.

"I'll try not to."

"That was some portal you opened, Dawnie," Xander said.

"What did you say to open it?" Tara asked curiously.

"The warriors, the wizard, and the key are one. A door between worlds, a door between dimensions. Open!" She answered after a moment of thought.

Willow piped up, "Where exactly did you send the demon?"

Dawn's brow furrowed as she thought back to that moment. "I knew the demon's particles needed to be separated to kill it. So I tried to imagine a place where the wind was always blowing so they couldn't pull back together. I kept imagining this endless gray void with swirling eddies."

Tara's eyes widened.

"What?"

"No wonder you used so much energy. You sent him to the void beyond creation. A place where he could never return from."  
"That was the point. Tried to get rid of him," Dawn said with a snort.

"You don't understand," Tara stressed. "No one has ever been able to access the void before because the energies needed are so vast and complicated that they're impossible to control. There have even been arguments saying that the void doesn't exist because of that fact."

"So opening another portal won't drain her like this one did?" Draco asked.

"It shouldn't," Willow answered. "Most portals would only need a portion of the power of the key. How much power did you use Dawn?"

The brunette shrugged. "My elvish and key powers of course. And then I realized that wouldn't be enough so I pulled from Draco, Buffy, and Spike. And even then it was a struggle to open it but at the last moment I pushed forth my last ounce of strength and then it opened."

"Wondered why I felt tired after that," Spike muttered.

"You'll never need that much power again," Tara assured her.

After a moment of silence Dawn asked, "Do we know how the demons got in?"

Spike nodded as he said, "Yeah. Seems a little chit named Pansy invited them in. She was also the one responsible for the fake dark mark on Draco's arm."

"The mark is fake?"

"Remember I told you it was," Draco said. "It turns out it was a really good illusion that Pansy had put on my arm. My father had sent her the specifics of the spell in hopes of bringing me back to their side."  
Dawn gasped as she remembered. "Your father. What happened to him?"

A scowl broke out on his face as he replied. "He's currently at Azkaban." A small smile broke out during his next statement. "You should have seen them trying to release the spell you had cast to hold him against the wall. I think Dumbledore purposely took his time trying to get him down."

"And Pansy?" Dawn asked after she stopped giggling.

"She and the other students involved in the plot have been sent to a special reform school," Dumbledore said, causing everyone to turn and stare. No one had heard him enter the room. "We were able to find them all out thanks to Draco's spying efforts."

The old wizard smiled at Dawn. "I had heard you were awake and came down to say hello. And to thank you for all of your efforts during the battle."  
Dawn grinned and glibly replied, "It was nothing."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Each of you shall receive a special award for services to the school." He looked up to see Madam Pomfrey heading in their direction. "On that note, I suggest we leave Miss Summers to get some more well deserved rest."

Everyone quickly filed out of the room to avoid the nurse's wrath. All that is, except for Draco.

Dawn gave him a mock glare and said, "You should be getting some rest too, mister. You look awful."  
"Oh, I'm going to rest. I'm just going to rest here, next to you."

She sleepily smiled as she understood and snuggled into his arms. She closed her eyes and whispered, "I love you."  
"I love you, too," he said as he gently kissed her on top of her head. Then they both drifted to sleep.

***********

Over the next several days, Dawn received lots of visitors in the infirmary. Hermione, sensibly enough, brought her all of her homework so she wouldn't fall too far behind in her classes. But Dawn groaned at the pile in front of her. She worried that she would never catch up since she hadn't paid close attention the week and a half prior to the battle. 

She heard everyone's tales from the battle and was happy to learn that very few had walked away with serious injuries. It seemed that Buffy's defense class had really helped since not all of the students had been able to escape before the fighting started. But not everybody had made it. A couple of students had died in the attack and Dawn knew that she'd miss them.

Harry excitedly told her that Sirius had been cleared of all charges since Harry, along with Ginny, had captured Peter Pettigrew. He told what really happened the night Harry's parents had died. He hoped that he would be able to spend the summer with Sirius and Remus instead of the Dursleys.

During all of this Draco only left her side to go to class. He even took his meals in the infirmary with her so she wouldn't be alone. Although she did spend the first day or so mainly sleeping and catching up on her homework. He even snuck in at night to hold her while they slept.

When Dawn was finally allowed out of bed, Draco and Ginny walked with her to the Gryffindor Tower. Ginny gave the new password and the fat lady's portrait swung open to reveal all of the Gryffindors waiting patiently in the common room. As Dawn entered they all cheered and before she knew it she was given hug after hug.

"I hope ye don't mind," Seamus said. "But we felt that we should throw ye a party."

"Yeah," Neville said. "A glad-you're-better-thanks-for-saving-the-day kind of party."

Dawn just laughed. She was actually a bit embarrassed by the attention. But since she knew her housemates were only showing their appreciation and their love for her, she only smiled and joined in the festivities.

Over the next several days she became used to the awed stares she received. She began to understand how Harry must have felt when he had first arrived at the school and everyone had their first glimpse of the boy who lived.

The teachers also seemed to regard her differently, only they were more discreet about it. Flitwick and Hagrid were more inclined to compliment her and even McGonagall's stern face would soften slightly when she spoke to her. 

The only one who didn't change their attitude for the better was, naturally, Snape. If anything, he was more surly toward her than before. She received a day of detention from him her first day back in his class for glaring at him.

After a week or two things slowly returned to normal. Students went back to concentrating on classes and Angel's group left to return to L.A.

One night, Dawn and Draco had just finished a late night study session in the library and he was escorting her back to the Tower. They were walking down a deserted corridor when she heard a thump come from one of the storage closets.

"Did you hear that?" Dawn asked as she stopped.

"Hear what?"

Another muffled thump could be heard.

"That."

They walked over to the door and pressed their ears against it. They could hear hushed voices and more thumping.

"There's someone in there," Dawn whispered.

"Probably two someones."  
"We should go."

"No. I'm a prefect. I'm supposed to stop things like this." They stepped back and he pulled the door open. "Come out! You guys know you aren't supposed to be in there."  
"Is that so, Mr. Malfoy?" Came a churlish voice from within.

The two students could only gape as they recognized the couple in the closet.

"Way to go! We were just about to engage in sexual intercourse and exchange some well-deserved orgasms. Now go away. Shoo! Shoo!"

Dawn's face turned bright red as the door was shut in her face. She turned to look at Draco. "Can I just say ewww!"

"The others will never believe us," he said in a stunned voice.

"No kidding. Who'd have guessed Anya and Snape?"


	42. Epilogue

Epilogue

The students were noisily gathered on the platform of the Hogsmeade Train Station. The school year had finally ended and they were going home for the summer.

Dawn, Draco, and Harry were saying their goodbyes now because they weren't leaving Hogwarts until the next day.

"Make sure you practice," Dawn told Neville as she gave him a big hug. "I want you to be able to kick my butt when you get back."

"I doubt I'll be able to do that," he said with a light blush. But with a sly wink he added, "But I'm sure I'll be able to kick Draco's arse."

"I heard that!" Draco called from where he was saying bye to a few of his fellow Slytherins. After the arrest of several death eaters from the attack, a couple of Slytherin students stepped forward stating they didn't want to follow Voldemort. The fact that Draco was able to defy his father and stay alive gave them enough courage to do the same. Many of them were staying with relatives rather than their parents.

Before long the infamous six were the only ones left on the platform. Tears welled up in Dawn's eyes as she hugged Ginny. "Don't forget you promised to bring the entire Weasley family for a visit."

"I still say you don't know what you're getting into by inviting the whole clan."

Dawn laughed as she pulled back to look her best friend in the eye. "You're forgetting that I grew up with the scoobies on a hellmouth. I can handle anything. Besides I would love to meet your older brothers and parents."

"Ok," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. "You asked for it." The redhead turned her attention to Draco. She quickly pulled him into her arms. "Take care of her and yourself."  
"Always," he whispered in her ear as he squeezed her tight. "See you soon."

"Definitely." He smiled as he turned to say goodbye to Hermione. Ginny drew in a shaky breath as she looked up at Harry. Before she could say anything he wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't cry, Gin. If you cry I don't think I'll be able to let go," he whispered hoarsely as he buried his face in her hair. He was ecstatic about spending the summer with Remus and Sirius, but he knew he would miss her terribly.

"Promise you'll come to the Burrow," came her muffled voice from his shoulder.

"Wouldn't miss it. Write me?"

"Everyday." She sniffled softly and reluctantly pulled away. She knew if she didn't let go then, she never would.

"Only one more year," Ron said as the friends gathered in a circle.

"Yeah," Hermione said sadly.

"Here's hoping there won't be any trouble next year for once," Ron said lightly.

Dawn groaned and shot him a look. "You realize you just jinxed us."


End file.
